She earned her BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1993, and her MFA from Louisiana State University in 1996. Her work is concerned with investigating the relationships between domesticated animals and humans. She is represented by the Garth Clark Gallery in New York City, and she is a resident artist at The lay Studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Adelaide was the recipient of a PEW Fellowship in the Arts in 2007. Her installation piece, 30 Days, was purchased for the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston as part of their permanent collection.