# Elizabeth Nelson Adams

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**Elizabeth Nelson Adams** (January 22, 1941 – March 2, 2020) was an American visual artist, poet, writer, arts commissioner, and film casting director, born in [Columbia, South Carolina](/source/Columbia,_South_Carolina).

## Biography

A recipient of a scholarship from the [National Merit Scholarship Program](/source/National_Merit_Scholarship_Program), Adams went to the [University of South Carolina](/source/University_of_South_Carolina) where she earned her AB degree in 1961. She later earned her Masters in English (1987) and her PhD in creative writing (1989) from the [University of South Carolina](/source/University_of_South_Carolina).[1] She was married to Ambassador [Weston Adams (diplomat)](/source/Weston_Adams_(diplomat)), and they have four children.[2][3]

From 1995 to 2000, Adams served on the South Carolina Arts Commission.[4][5][6] She served on the Board of Directors of The [South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities](/source/South_Carolina_Governor's_School_for_the_Arts_%26_Humanities).[citation needed]

## Writer and artist

A prolific poet and writer, Adams is the author of *Gathering the Rain* (1990), and *Five Malawian Writers: An Essay in Personal Exploration* (1987). [7] [8] A successful painter, Adams had shows throughout [South Carolina](/source/South_Carolina), in [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles), Palm Beach, [Nantucket](/source/Nantucket), and [Lilongwe, Malawi](/source/Lilongwe,_Malawi), [Africa](/source/Africa). In 2007 and 2009, she had art shows in Los Angeles to raise money for [Tippi Hedren](/source/Tippi_Hedren)’s [Shambala Preserve](/source/Shambala_Preserve).[9] Shambala is a nonprofit organization founded by Hedren in 1983, which cares for endangered exotic big cats such as African lions, Siberian tigers, Bengal tigers, leopards and other big cats.

Between 1984 and 1986, Adams spent her time painting and writing in [Malawi](/source/Malawi), Africa. Her paintings captured the landscape and the people of the former British colony. During that period she wrote *Five Malawian Writers: An Essay in Personal Exploration* (1987). She studied the culture of Malawi, from [Lilongwe](/source/Lilongwe), to the northern [Nyika Plateau](/source/Nyika_Plateau), to [Lake Malawi](/source/Lake_Malawi), and to the southern [Zomba Plateau](/source/Zomba_Plateau). Her extensive travels through [Zambia](/source/Zambia), [Zimbabwe](/source/Zimbabwe), [South Africa](/source/South_Africa), and other African countries are reflected in her body of work.

[Lithography](/source/Lithography) became a passion of hers in the 1990s, which can be seen in her series of Italian lithographs. She traveled extensively through [Italy](/source/Italy), from [Tuscany](/source/Tuscany) to [Lake Como](/source/Lake_Como), and captured the architecture, landscapes, and people of the country in her paintings, lithographs, sculpture, and poetry.[10][non-primary source needed]

Adams's art has also been shown at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, part of The [Spoleto Festival USA](/source/Spoleto_Festival_USA) in [Charleston, South Carolina](/source/Charleston,_South_Carolina). Adams's poetry has been published in numerous poetry books and reviews across the United States, including *From The Green Horseshoe* (1987) and others.[11]

## Film work

Adams was instrumental in the development and production of the feature film *[The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams](/source/The_Last_Confederate:_The_Story_of_Robert_Adams)* from [Solar Filmworks](/source/Solar_Filmworks) and [ThinkFilm](/source/ThinkFilm) (2007). With her knowledge of the history and nuances of southern culture, Adams impacted the telling of the story in the script phase, the casting, and the production design of the film. She was the casting director for the movie, bringing in such talent as [Tippi Hedren](/source/Tippi_Hedren), who played *Grandmother Adams* in the film and [Edwin McCain](/source/Edwin_McCain), who played *Belcher* in the film. Adams also acted in the role of *Madame Bonneau*.[12][13]

## References

1. "Elizabeth N. Adams Thesis". [OCLC 22599768](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/22599768)

1. ["Reagan Presidency - Elizabeth N. Adams"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201009/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=39874). *www.presidency.ucsb.edu*. Archived from [the original](http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=39874) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2013.

1. ["Reagan - Elizabeth N. Adams"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150924085323/http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/50784b.htm). *www.reagan.utexas.edu*. Archived from [the original](http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/50784b.htm) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2013.

1. ["Elizabeth N. Adams"](http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess111_1995-1996/sj95/19950509.htm). *www.scstatehouse.gov*. Retrieved November 18, 2013.

1. ["Elizabeth N. Adams"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150924104015/http://www.southcarolinaarts.com/canvas/longrangeplan.pdf). *www.southcarolinaarts.com*. Archived from [the original](http://www.southcarolinaarts.com/canvas/longrangeplan.pdf) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2013.

1. ["Elizabeth N. Adams"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131202222757/http://www.southcarolinaarts.com/40/results_33.shtml). *www.southcarolinaarts.com*. Archived from [the original](http://www.southcarolinaarts.com/40/results_33.shtml) on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2013.

1. Adams, Elizabeth Nelson (1990). ["Gathering the Rain by Elizabeth N. Adams"](https://books.google.com/books?id=AzZcOAAACAAJ). Retrieved November 18, 2013. – via [Google Books](/source/Google_Books)

1. Adams, Elizabeth N. (1987). ["Five Malawian Writers: An Essay in Personal Exploration by Elizabeth N. Adams"](https://books.google.com/books?id=_u_ONwAACAAJ). Retrieved November 18, 2013. – via [Google Books](/source/Google_Books)

1. ["Tippi Hedren Fundraiser and Elizabeth N. Adams"](http://ravepad.com/page/tippi-hedren/videos/view/842328/elizabeth-adams-art-and-selected-poetry). *ravepad.com*. Retrieved November 18, 2013.

1. ["Elizabeth N. Adams - Art and Poetry"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw0UWG1Chbs). *www.youtube.com*. Retrieved November 18, 2013.

1. ["Poetry Elizabeth N. Adams"](http://findingaids.library.emory.edu/documents/dickey745/series5/subseries5.4/). *findingaids.library.emory.edu*. Retrieved November 18, 2013.

1. ["IMDb.com Elizabeth N. Adams"](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1278290/). *www.imdb.com*. Retrieved November 18, 2013.

1. ["NYTimes Elizabeth N. Adams"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131219162300/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/337925/The-Last-Confederate-The-Story-of-Robert-Adams/credits). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. 2013. Archived from [the original](https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/337925/The-Last-Confederate-The-Story-of-Robert-Adams/credits) on December 19, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2013.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Elizabeth Nelson Adams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Nelson_Adams) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Nelson_Adams?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.