• Landscape is a central theme in Akers’ art. His work addresses a variety of related issues, including boundaries and ownership, mythical and spiritual meanings attached to place, and environmental stewardship.

• Akers’ Osage and Pawnee heritage is a significant lens through which he sees the American landscape and its history. The artist has said: “Through color, line, and visual form, I express deeply felt concerns regarding [American Indian] removal, disturbance, and the struggle to reclaim cultural context.”

• He describes further: “Sense of place … can be interpreted in many ways. Place of origin describes the physical landscape where one lives or originates. Mythological place transcends physical place and describes the timeless spiritual or mythic origin where stories begin and civilizations emerge. History has left its mark on the land, creating a place where political and cultural boundaries define our identities.”

• Akers earned a bachelor’s of fine arts in painting from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1982, and a certificate in museum studies from the Institute of American Indian Arts in 1983, where he also served as an instructor. In 1991 Akers received a master’s of fine arts from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

• Akers is currently an associate professor of art at the University of Kansas.

Let's Talk Art Video (Indigenous Aesthetics): https://youtu.be/v4shM7I4el8?si=fKvDQ3vLDN4ypD-b

Let's Talk Art: https://youtu.be/xm8v2dLd_BY?si=_Bu-9zFN7kN5NnLq