Akeylah Imani Wellington is a sculptor, tapestry maker, and Southern. Her work is concerned with the nature of humor—both as a noun connoting comedy and as a verb meaning to endure. Working with found media from the 2000's, her attention to era-specific technological and political development is an attempt to make sense of her personal experience of carceral displacement, loss, girlhood, generational inheritances, and time. While developing her artistic style and exploring mediums in graduate school at The Ohio State University (OSU), she found herself drawn to pony beads. Wellington states, “These works are made of pony beads, an ornament typically used to adorn the end of Black braided styles.” Not only are these art materials for the artist, but also a cultural symbol and token of nostalgia from her childhood in Louisiana and Florida.

Based in Columbus, OH, Wellington received her MFA from The Ohio State University where she has also worked as a Lecturer. Her work has been shown at Blah Blah Gallery (Philadelphia, PA) The Anderson (Richmond, VA), The Hole (NYC, NY) and Pond Gallery (Fayetteville, AR). She is a former artist-in-residence of Visible Records and Wassaic Project and a 2025 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award recipient.