Ferne Jacobs Catalog Revised

Building the Essentials:

FERNE JACOBS

Building the

Essentials:

Ferne Jacobs

Detail of

Dwelling,

1984

4

BUILDING THE ESSENTIALS: FERNE JACOBS

Contents

08

36

58

70

Connected Cells, Breathing Forms

Exhibition Checklist

Artist CV

About Craft in America

CRAFT IN AMERICA

5

Dwelling, 1984

6


Untitled, 1966

CRAFT IN AMERICA

7

Connected Cells,

Breathing Forms

By Emily Zaiden

8


“When I start it’s a color, a size, and I see a shape… I just start

playing with the line and then I make a connection…and then

suddenly I am in that piece. And we are having a relationship.

I never know what it’s going to look like until it gets done.”

Ferne Jacobs has been at the forefront of the revolution in

fiber art since the 1960s. She has pioneered the formation

of a new category of sculpture. Transforming materials and

pushing boundaries, she builds solid structures with coiled,

twined, and knotted thread. This exhibition is the first to

survey more than fifty years of Jacobs’ pivotal and timeless

artwork from 1966 through the present.

Jacobs has lived and practiced in Echo Park for most of

her life, yet she has rarely exhibited in Los Angeles. As

such, this exhibition is a homecoming. Like countless other

artists working in Southern California during this era and

prior to recent shifts in the art world, most of her work

migrated to galleries, collections, and museums in New

York, the East Coast, and other parts of the country. She is

among the leading artists who have shaped the national

fiber movement that has flourished in California over many

decades, having national and international influence. This

gathering of work reflects Jacobs’ overall artistic evolution

and highlights her unrelenting search for meaning in form,

color, and process.

Early on in her career, Jacobs studied at Art Center College

of Design and she took painting at Pratt Institute, but the

sensory aspects of fiber, including smell and touch, were

what really stoked her interest. After a first weaving class

at Barnsdall Art Park in the early 1960s, she built a selfmade

fiber education by seeking out classes and personally

connecting with leading artists and teachers. In 1965, she

took a workshop in San Diego with Arline Fisch, whom she

credits with truly teaching her to weave expressively.

CONNECTED CELLS, BREATHING FORMS 9

Fisch suggested Jacobs continue with Mary Jane Leland

at California State University, Long Beach, which deepened

her technical understanding. While there, Jacobs learned

about Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, where she

went on to work with Olga de Amaral in 1967, and to meet

Jack Lenor Larsen, among others.

One early success occurred when Jacobs’ rug (fig. 1) with

abstract landscape imagery was selected for inclusion

in the 1968 landmark multimedia exhibition, California

Design 10. Woven on a loom when she was at California

State University, Long Beach, Jacobs exuberantly

integrated color, pattern, and texture. Although her

subsequent work would deviate far from this early

exploratory woven piece, it reflected an enthusiastic

awakening to what would become her medium.

With a base in weaving, Jacobs sought to learn off-loom

and three-dimensional techniques and she began to

experiment with sculptural pieces. Artists Joan Austin,

Neda Al-Hilali, and Dominic Di Mare, who became one of

her closest lifelong friends, further opened the floodgates

for Jacobs’ independent exploration of dimensional fiber.

Meeting Lenore Tawney in the mid 1970s, whom Jacobs

had admired deeply for many years, was the beginning of a

profound friendship and creative connection.

From the moment she learned to coil, from a worksheet

shared by a student attending a workshop taught by her

friend Joan Austin, she found a channel for expression that

has become a lifelong journey, spanning more than five

decades thus far. Austin was instrumental in researching

basket-making and advancing the contemporary

processes for three-dimensional fiber. Unlike the warprestrictions

of twining and other weaving processes,

coiling offered unlimited potential for expansion, color

changes, and it allowed Jacobs to generate hard forms.

10


fig 1.

Rug, 1968


fig 2.

Mesas,

1974

12


Constructed from stiff rows of thousands of individual

knots and capped by soft plumes of wool, the monumental

tableau Mesas (fig. 2) was made when Jacobs was breaking

into her own fiber language and moving between two and

three dimensions in the mid 1970s. The piece is related to a

series that Jacobs created as she was beginning her MFA at

Claremont Graduate University. She had been accepted into

the program even though she had not technically completed

her BFA. She knew by then who she was as an artist and that

she had to make the art that is deepest to her nature.

A small arch (fig. 5) made in 1975 was an important shift

in Jacobs’ development and her ability to innovate

with curvature, structure, and shape with thread. After

discovering her new approach, Jacobs created a number of

graceful totemic and vessel forms during the late 1970s and

1980s with natural or black thread tightly coiled to provide

solidity and structure. In a 1979 Fiberarts review, Betty Park

wrote, “the variegations in the natural tones of the linen

appear like strata in rock, becoming another imprint of time.”

Some of these have understated marks and symbols woven

within, while other pieces are pierced by openings that are

carved out. These apertures in Jacobs’ words, “make room

for something to come in.” She constructed clean lines

achieved through methodical precision and intense focus.

Each piece is a product of Jacobs’ intent to find grounding in

slowness. She builds coil by coil to form a cellular structure.

Shadow Figure (fig. 3), a sizable and strong floor sculpture,

was made from 1976-77 during a period of personal chaos.

Jacobs envisioned it as a looming shadow that was always

with her. Row by row, and with each coil, Shadow Figure

embodies steady consistency and meditative repetition. It

reflects the need to pull oneself together and seek a sense

of order and calm. Throughout her practice, Jacobs is drawn

to examine what exists and lurks in the shadows of our

society. Her work is about giving shape to the forces and


fig 3.

Shadow Figure,

1976-1977

fig 4.

Detail of

Shadow Figure

14



fig 5.

Untitled, 1975

16


fig 6.

Untitled 1 & 2,

ca. 1968


factors we cannot see, whether natural, metaphysical, or

human-driven.

Over time, Jacobs increasingly embraced abstract

figurative sculpture in her work. Solitude (fig.8), animated

by a twisting, bulging upper portion, was one of the first

pieces that Jacobs created with an open base, allowing

its energy to be “uncontained”. Her appreciation of the

sacredness of objects from various cultures and traditions,

and the metaphorical qualities of the container as a

fundamental and universal form, guides her work and

imbues it with its own spiritual and timeless power.

By the mid 1980s, she was merging sturdy coiling together

with twining, which provided a softer textural feel. Her

work became less rigidly geometric and more curvilinear

(fig. 11). Jacobs’ deep interest in finding the core of her

feminine soul moved to the forefront. Streaks of red

stream through pieces from this period. Two large floor

sculptures, Serpentine Figure and Spiral Bone, initiate

a dialogue about the nature of masculine and feminine

consciousness. They relate to Jacobs’ interest in religion,

biblical representations of gender, the snake’s role in the

Garden of Eden, and ultimately, her desire to define what

the feminine is, on her own terms.

Although Jacobs has always let her pieces emerge

intuitively, she maintains total control over her material.

She holds the balance of tension as she makes each

coil, wrapping methodically and steadily with rhythmic

regularity. She constantly invents new challenges for

herself that require a complete investment of her energy.

Veil (fig. 7) is a masterpiece at over 7 feet, a tubular

technical accomplishment that was one of Jacobs’ most

challenging pieces to execute. It drapes down the wall as

an open portal. Rather than concealing and obscuring

identity, this monumental piece asserts an inherent

strength.

18


fig 7.

Veil, 1996

fig 8.

Solitude,

1985-1986


fig 9.

Interior Passages,

2016

20


Jacobs moved in a new direction in the early 2000s towards

openness, undulating appendages, and dazzling color.

Over these two decades, Jacobs left the confinement of

traditional vessels behind. Her 3D sculptures stand their

own ground. They stretch and unfurl as open-ended beings

with the interior of each piece just as visible as the exterior.

Sculptural wall pieces are dynamic and free flowing. Each

piece begins as the evolution of a line and Jacobs then lets

it develop organically. She only thinks about her next step.

The rest is a lengthy and extended process of improvisation

and natural development that lasts months.

The subtle and rich variations of color in her large rippled

wall sculpture, Waterfall, mark the beginning of Jacobs’ use

of polychromatic threads of color. Jacobs created vibrant

pieces such as Flight (figs. 12 and 13) and Collar (figs. 19 and

20), by taking apart existing thread and replying the strands

to make new color combinations. She credits artist Kate

Anderson for the idea, which expanded her color palette

almost infinitely.

In contrast, solid black pieces were a direct response to the

last few years of political turmoil, violence, death, isolation,

and social destruction. Two Angels (fig. 10), a wall sculpture

which is capped by intertwined figures engaged in struggle,

marked the start of this dark period. Jacobs honed in on

black as absolute, simple, and without variation. It was a

time in which Jacobs was absorbing how, “so much energy

was spinning into such negative outcomes.”

From these recent years came Interior Passages (fig. 9), a

web of scarlet arteries and veins that is a glimpse under the

surface into what powers us within. Always seeking light in

darkness, Jacobs created vibrant Transparent Sunlight (fig.

14), a compact, contained bundle of shavings from the sun.

She has focused on a consideration of the larger, complex

systems beyond human control that keep everything


fig 10.

Two Angels,

2015

22


fig 11.

Red Wave,

1988-1989


fig 12.

Detail of Flight

24


fig 13.

Flight, 2011

fig 14.

Transparent

Sunlight, 2015


fig 15.

Drawing Books,

1971-2019

fig 16.

Drawing Books,

1971-2019

26


running. “There are processes in the world that will always

be there whether we are there or not.”

She constructed her most recent piece, the skeletal

Whispering Whale (fig. 18), during the height of the

pandemic, out of increased concern about the

environment and species loss. In particular, she wanted to

speak to the critical problems she felt are being ignored.

“The work is not about issues in the world per se, but of

course, I am affected by them. The work has more to do

with a mystery that I relate with when I am working, and

just hoping that when each piece is complete, that it feels

alive, that it has ‘breath’.”

The exhibition includes Jacobs’ intimate drawings (figs.

15 and 16) and collage diaries (fig. 17), which have never

been publicly displayed before. This imagery provides an

additional revelatory lens into her vision, inspiration, and

philosophical perspective. Jacobs creates psychological

drawings, depicting her subconscious, and they are filled

with Jungian symbolism. The serpent or snake, bird, and

fish are central figures that fill these pages, forming

narratives that sometimes extend for several pages.

Whereas her drawing books are more personal and often

stem from her dreams and subconsciousness, collage

is an outlet through which Jacobs witnesses and charts

time. She depicts her worldview and her responses to

what is happening in society.

Jacobs is recognized for her technical mastery of material

and process. Reinventing and advancing traditional

techniques used for basketry, and inventing countless

other methods along the way, Jacobs has generated an

entirely fresh format for sculptural art. Her acute sense

of color melded with her poetic and intuitive approach

are characteristic traits. Each piece begins with an idea, a

dream, a story, or a picture in Jacobs’ mind, but it grows


28


fig 17.

Collage Diaries,

2004-2018


and takes on its own form over the months in which she

shapes the artwork.

Jacobs plays with duality in terms of textures, contrast of

color, interior and exterior, solids and voids. In terms of

concept, she investigates the significance of masculinity

and femininity, spirituality and religion, and the destruction

of the natural world. She seeks strength in softness and

beauty in slowness. Each piece, with individual threads

forming a cellular network, is filled with her devoted

focus and imbued with powerful energy. Her pieces are

meditations on the fiber of society and the nature of

humanity in the modern world.

“When I begin a piece, I create a line by wrapping thread

around a cord, with a color that has been in my mind. From

then on I live in a mystery, creating each cell (wrap) and

connection, of what I hope is a living form. The cells make

up a body, and I have no idea about what it will become

until it is finished. There is no direct intention, only a hope

that it has life and through that, is moving in some way.”

_____________________________________________________

_____

*Based on:

Interviews with Ferne Jacobs, 2020-2022

Artist statement, 2015

Oral history interview with Ferne Jacobs, 2005 August 30-

31, Archives of American Art

30


fig 18.

Detail of

Whispering Whale,

2021-2022

31

fig 19.

Collar, 2005

32


fig 20.

Detail of Collar


Origins,

2017-2018

34



Exhibition

Checklist

36 BUILDING THE ESSENTIALS: FERNE JACOBS

EARLIEST WORKS

Untitled, 1966

Various threads

48 x 5 ½“

Collection of the artist

Untitled 1 & 2, 1968

Various threads

68 x 7 x 4“ & 48 x 5 x 3”


Rug, 1968

Various threads

4 x 7’


EARLY VESSELS

Rainbow Basket, 1971

Knotted and wrapped nylon, straw,

various threads, shells, bead

6” diameter

Collection of Livia Lewin

Untitled, 1973

Knotted waxed linen thread, various

threads, porcupine quills

6” high

Collection of Patsy Krebs

FLAT KNOTTED SERIES

Mesas, 1974

Knotted, rayon, straw, wool roving,

various threads

50 x 40 ½“


EXHIBITION CHECKLIST 37


Installation View



Spiral Bone,

1990-1991


Detail of

Waterfall,

2000-2001

“I stand for the feminine.

I want her to have power.

She can break with tradition.”

1970s FORMS & TOTEMS

Untitled, 1975

Coiled waxed linen thread

7” high

Collection of David and Katherine

Hensley

Untitled, 1976

Coiled waxed polyester thread

25 x 4 ½ x 3”

Collection of David and Katherine

Hensley

Shadow Figure, 1976-1977


61 x 11 ¼”


Untitled, 1977


33 ½ x 7 ½ x 3”

Collection of Alan Mandell




The Round,

2007-2008


1980s CONTAINER FORMS

The Curl Has a Voice, 1983


3 ¾ x 6 ½“

Collection of Naomi Roth

Dwelling, 1984

Coiled and twined waxed linen thread

8 ½ x 7 x 4”

Collection of Alan Mandell

Solitude, 1985-1986


3 ¾ x 6 ½ x 17 ”

Collection of Patsy Krebs

Red Wave, 1988-1989


10 x 6 x 9”

Collection of Karen Frederick

LARGE SCALE WORK

Serpent Figure, 1989-1990


42 x 11 x 22 ½”


Spiral Bone, 1990-1991


44 x 13 x 16”

Collection of Joan Borinstein

Veil, 1996


87 ¾ x 7 x 4”

Collection of Eileen Kurahashi


Rainbow Basket,

1971


“Black is just what it is,

it’s black. It’s simplest

and the purest.”


Waterfall, 2000-2001


95” x 26” x 4”

Collection of Tom Grotta

POLYCHROMATIC 2000s

Collar, 2005


18 x 13 ½ x 11 ½”

Collection of Edward Lenkin

Floating World, 2007


16 ½ x 12 x 9”


The Round, 2007-2008


21 x 16 x 13”


Flight, 2011


16 x 20 x 13”


BLACK RECENT WORK

Two Angels, 2015


28 x 14 x 6”


Figure/Head, 2020


13 x 7 x 9”




Waterfall,

2000-2001

RECENT WORK

Interior Passages, 2016


45 x 16 x 4”


Transparent Sunlight, 2016


10 x 8 x 6”

Collection of Kay Sekimachi

Origins, 2017-2018


51 x 17 ½ x 4”


Whispering Whale, 2021-22

Coiled and twined waxed linen and

various threads

70 x 12 x 2 ½”


BOOKS

Drawing Books, 1971-2019


Collage Diaries, 2004-2018



52

Detail of

Two Angels,

2015

“My life has been about finding

a relationship

with my feminine soul.

Men have defined what the

feminine is, but I

want to define it, for me.”



Installation View



Drawing Books,

1971-2019


Artist CV


(Born 1942 in Chicago, Illinois; lives and works in Los Angeles, California)

EDUCATION

1976 M.F.A. Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA

1965-71 Studied with Arline Fisch, Mary Jane Leland, Dominic Di

Mare, Olga d’Amaral, Neda Al-Hilali

1964–65 Pratt Institute, Painting, New York, NY

1960–63 Art Center College of Design, Los Angeles, CA

HONORS & AWARDS

1995 Named a Fellow of the College of Fellows, American Craft

Council

1991 Artist in Residence at La Napoule Art Foundation,

La Napoule, France

1973 &1977 National Endowments for the Arts Fellowship

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA

The Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, NC

Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY

Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, HI

Detroit Institute of the Arts, Detroit, MI

Erie Art Museum, Erie, PA

Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA

Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI

Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh, Scotland

Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA

ARTIST CV 59

Untitled, 1973

Detail of

Interior Passages,

1968


ARTIST CV 61

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2020, 2012, 2008, 1998, 1994 Nancy Margolis Gallery

1999, 1995, 1992, 1989 Sybaris Gallery, Royal Oak, Detroit, MI

1996 Joanne Rapp Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ

1991 Recent Fiber Sculpture, Franklin Parrasch Gallery, New York, NY

1983 Miller/Brown Gallery, San Francisco, CA

1980 Ferne Jacobs, Fiber Work and Drawings, a Retrospective Exhibit of

10 Years Work, Rex W. Wigmall, Museum Gallery, Chaffey

Community College, Alta Loma, CA

1977 Hadler/Rodriguez Galleries, New York, NY

1972 Galleria del Sol, Santa Barbara, CA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2015 Extreme Fibers, Muskegon Art Museum, Muskegon, MI, & Dennos

Art Center, Traverse, MI

2013 Repetition & Ritual, New Sculpture in Fiber, The Hudgens Center

for the Arts, Duluth, GA

2011 All Things Considered IV, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA

Golden State of Craft: California 1960–1985, Craft and Folk Art

Museum, Los Angeles, CA

2009 High Fiber, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery,

Washington D.C.

2005 Intertwined, Contemporary Baskets from the Sara and David

Lieberman Collection, ASU Art Museum, Arizona State University,

Tempe, AZ

2004 Fiber Biennial 2004, Snyderman-Works Galleries, Philadelphia, PA

2003 California Looms: Wove & Constructed, Craft and Folk Art

Museum, Los Angeles, CA

Generations/Transformations: American Fiber Art, American

Textile History Museum, Lowell, MA

Grand Opening Exhibition, Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI

2002 Los Angeles Artists/Los Angeles Collectors: Contemporary

Baskets, Los Angeles International Airport

Coming of Age, Mint Museum of Art/Craft and Design,

Charlotte, NC

Escape from the Vault: The Contemporary Museum’s Collection

Breaks Out, Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HI


Untitled,

1973

ARTIST CV 63


Figure/Head,

2020

Fiber Arts Today, Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge, MA

Threads on the Edge, a selection of works from the Daphne Farago

Collection, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, MA

2000 Miniatures: 2000, Helen Drutt, Philadelphia, PA

1999 The Art of Fiber, Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, Cazenovia, NY

1997 Vessels, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA

Contemporary Art Basket, Ohio Crafts Museum, Columbus, OH

1996 Life Work - Individual Expression in Fiber, El Camino College Art

Gallery, Torrance, CA

1995 Fiber: Five Decades, American Craft Museum, New York, NY

Arduous Happiness, Santa Monica College Art Gallery, S.M., CA

1993 Linen, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, NY

1992 Fiber Art - New Directions for the Nineties, Manchester Institute

of Arts and Sciences, NH

Sensibilities: Substance and Surface, Biada Art Gallery, Mount St.

Mary’s College, Los Angeles, CA

Four Artists Reflect 1971–1991, The Society for Contemporary

Crafts, Pittsburgh, PA

Craft Today USA, organized by the American Craft Museum, NY

1988 Up From L.A., Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, CA

Frontiers in Fiber: The Americans, organized by the North Dakota

Museum of Art (traveling exhibition through Japan, Korea, and

mainland China)

Basketry ‘88 / Evolution into Sculpture, Wita Gardiner Gallery,

San Diego, CA

Material Images: 15 Fiber Artists, Bowling Green State University,

Bowling Green, OH

1987 The Modern Basket: A Redefinition, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts,

Pittsburgh, PA

The Eloquent Object, The Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK

Poetry of the Physical, American Craft Museum, New York, NY

1986 Fiber Re/Evolution, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI

1985 Textile Constructs, California State University at Northridge,

Northridge, CA

1984 American Basket Forms, Brookfield Craft Center, Brookfield, CT

American Craft Traditions, San Francisco International Airport, CA

1982 Tradition in New Form, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA

Other Baskets, Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO

1981 Made in L.A., Contemporary Crafts ‘81, Craft and Folk Art Museum,

ARTIST CV 65

Los Angeles, CA

Old Traditions / New Directions, The Textile Museum,

Washington D.C.

Beyond Tradition: 25th Anniversary Exhibition of the American

Craft Museum, NY

Fabrications, Riverside Art Center and Museum, Riverside, CA

Mandell Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

1980 The Contemporary Basket Maker, Purdue University,

West Lafayette, IN

Opening Invitational Exhibition, Greenwood Gallery,

Washington D.C.

Elizabeth Fortner Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA

1979 The Basket-Maker’s Art, The Elements Gallery, New York, NY

Recap - Anderson Ranch, Visual Arts Center, Aspen, CO

Intimate Statements, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Art Renewal Show I, Los Angeles County Museum of Art,

Los Angeles, CA

1977 Fiber Works, an International Invitational, Cleveland Museum of

Art, Cleveland, OH

1976 California Design ‘76, Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles, CA

American Crafts, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL

California Women in Crafts, Craft and Folk Art Museum,

Los Angeles, CA

1975 Opening Exhibition of the Hadler Galleries, New York, NY

1974 First World Crafts Exhibition, Ontario Science Center, Toronto,

Canada

First International Exhibition of Miniature Textiles, British Crafts

Centre, London, England 1973

Fiber Works, Lang Art Gallery, Scripps College, Claremont, CA

1972 Sculpture in Fiber, Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York, NY

Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA Fiber

Structures, The Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO

Fiber Art by American Artists, Ball State University, Muncie, IN


Floating World,

2007

ARTIST CV 67


ARTIST CV 69

About Us


Craft in America is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit

arts organization founded in 2004 with the mission to

promote and advance original handcrafted work through

programs in all media. The Peabody Award-winning,

Emmy-nominated Craft in America documentary

series first aired nationally on PBS in 2007 and has

produced twenty-seven hour-long episodes to date.

These programs are filled with artists, techniques, and

stories from diverse cultures, blending history with living

practice.

In addition to the series, Craft in America’s organizational

efforts include extensive websites (pbs.org/

craftinamerica and craftinamerica.org), a YouTube

channel www.youtube.com/user/craftinamerica), multidisciplinary

educator guides that adhere to national

standards, and the Craft in America Center in Los

Angeles. All of Craft in America’s multimedia educational

content is provided to the public at no charge.

ABOUT CRAFT IN AMERICA 71

This catalog was published in conjunction

with the exhibition:

Building the Essentials: Ferne Jacobs

on view at the Craft in America Center,

Los Angeles, CA

April 2, 2022 – June 18, 2022

Curated by Emily Zaiden

This exhibition was supported by funding

from the Lenore Tawney foundation.

Copyright 2022

Craft in America

8415 West 3rd Street

Los Angeles, CA 90048

www.craftinamerica.org

ISBN: 978-1-7923-9391-4

Printed in Los Angeles

Designed by Peggy Luk

Written by Emily Zaiden

Photography by Madison Metro

Ferne Jacobs Catalog Revised

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