Margaret Jacobs: Kinship Gallery Guide

GA L L E RY G U ID E

Subtle and Strong, 2022, steel

Margaret Jacobs creates steel sculptures and finely crafted jewelry, exploring the tensions and harmonies between the fabricated and natural worlds. An enrolled member of the Akwesasne Mohawk tribe in upstate New York, Jacobs investigates cultural histories and identity. In Kinship, Jacobs examines the relationships connecting unexpected or contradictory elements, believing that materials have their own distinct narratives.

In her Old Growth Series, Jacobs melds forms of flora and medicinal plants with tools associated with early twentiethcentury Mohawk ironworkers. Alongside the stark lines and unadorned metal of these steel sculptures, the artist’s colorful jewelry features botanicals—such as garlic, mint, and strawberry—arranged in groupings as “partner pieces” charged with a quiet strength and beauty.

— Heather Ferrell, Curator and Director of Exhibitions

Old Growth Series, 2023, steel

CHECKLIST

Partner Pieces: Garlic I, Bolo Tie and Garlic II, Pin, 2023 powder coated brass, leather, and silver, removable freshwater pearl chain 42" length and 4 x 2.25" $300 and $225

Old Growth Series: Strawberry, 2024, 34 x 8 x 3.5” Blueberry, 2024, 31 x 9 x 3” Sage, 2023, 36 x 5 x 3” Maple, 2024, 27.5 x 8 x 2” steel Price Upon Request

Partner Pieces: Corn I, Bolo Tie and Corn II, Pin, 2024 powder coated brass, leather, and silver 42" length and 3.5 x 2" $300 and $225

What We Carry: Mushroom, Pin Pair, 2023 powder coated brass 2 x 1.5" each $225 each

What We Carry: Mushroom, 2023 powder coated brass and silver 30.5" length $300

Partner Pieces: Morel I, Bolo Tie and Morel II, Pin, 2024 powder coated brass, leather, and silver 38" and 3 x 2" $300 and $225

Old Growth Series: Tobacco, 2023, 38 x 6 x 3" Cattail, 2023, 58 x 5.5 x 2" Mint, 2024, 31 x 11 x 2" Plantain, 2023, 28.5 x 3 x 2" steel Price Upon Request

Partner Pieces: Kale I, Bolo Tie and Kale II, Pin, 2024 powder coated brass, leather, and silver 38" length and 3 x 2.5" $300 and $225

What We Carry: Mint, Pin Pair, 2023 powder coated brass 2.24 x 1.5" each $225 each

What We Carry: Mint, 2022 powder coated brass and silver 32" length $300

Electric Strawberry Brooch, 2023 powder coated brass and silver 3 x 3" $400

Subtle and Strong, 2022 steel 32" dia.

NFS

Partner Pieces: Mint I (Bolo Tie) and Mint II (Pin), 2023 powder coated brass, leather, and silver 42" length and 3 x 3" $300 and $225

All Works Courtesy of the Artist

MARGARET JACOBS (b. 1986, Ogdensburg, NY) is a sculpture and jewelry artist and enrolled member of the Akwesasne Mohawk nation, known for her striking steel sculptures and jewelry that explore materiality, formal and symbolic oppositions, and personal narrative. Jacobs received a BA from Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, where she won the prestigious POD (Perspectives on Design) award. She has participated in several artist residencies including the UCROSS Artist Residency, Clearmont, WY; IAIA Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) Program, Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM; OÁYE Virtual Artist Rezidency Program, Oglala Lakota College, SD; and the Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, where she was awarded a Native American Fellowship through the Harpo Foundation.

Jacobs’ work has been exhibited widely throughout the United States, including Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery, Windsor, CT; Boise Art Museum, ID; Abbe Museum, Bar Harbor, ME; Franconia Sculpture Park, Shafer, MN; and AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, NH. Her sculpture can be found in permanent collections at institutions across the Northeast. She currently lives and works in Salem, New York.

RELATED PUBLIC PROGRAMS

In Converstion, Outstanding, Self-Taught Artists, 2023

ARTIST TALK: MARGARET JACOBS Thursday, April 18, 2024, 6-7pm BCA Center, Second Floor Margaret Jacobs discusses her solo exhibition, Kinship. Whether you are more fascinated by the artists’ exploration of cultural influences and histories, or by her metalsmithing and fabrication techniques, Jacobs offers insights into her newest body of work.

FAMILY ART SATURDAY April 20, 2024, 11-1pm BCA Center, Church Street outdoors Get creative and make art together at Family Art Saturday! Come enjoy a free drop-in art activity at the BCA Center inspired by our exhibition, Margaret Jacobs: Kinship.

All gallery programs are free and open to the public.

SCHOOL VISITS BCA gallery educators lead inquiry-driven group tours that encourage close looking, critical thinking, and thought-provoking conversation. We link these gallery conversations to hands-on art activities that explore exhibition themes, materials, and artistic processes. We welcome public, private, and homeschool students in grades pre-K to 12 and beyond.

Program fee: $10 per student. Groups are invited to apply for a partial or full scholarship.

Please contact Kristin Dykstra, Gallery Learning and Programs Coordinator, at kdykstra@burlingtoncityarts.org for more information or to reserve a visit.

Margaret Jacobs: Kinship is sponsored in part by the Maslow Family Foundation.

Hospitality sponsors: Lake Champlain Chocolates, Farrell Distributing, and William Hill Estate Winery. Burlington City Arts is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council & the National Endowment for the Arts.

135 CHURCH STREET, BURLINGTON, VERMONT, 05401 BURLINGTONCITYARTS.ORG