Building the Essentials: Ferne Jacobs

contained bundle of shavings from the sun. She has focused on
a consideration of the larger, complex systems beyond human
control that keep everything 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
CONNECTED CELLS, BREATHING FORMS 25