Snow Circles

Ferne Jacobs, Snow Circles, 1999, coiled and twined waxed linen thread, 14 ¹⁄₈ x 12 ⁷⁄₈ x 10 ⁵⁄₈ in. (35.8 x 32.6 x 27.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 2001.32

Artwork Details

Title: Snow Circles
Artist: Ferne Jacobs
Date: 1999
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 14 ¹⁄₈ x 12 ⁷⁄₈ x 10 ⁵⁄₈ in. (35.8 x 32.6 x 27.1 cm)
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Mediums Description: coiled and twined waxed linen thread
Classifications: Decorative Arts
Fiber
Object Number: 2001.32
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2001.32

Artwork Description

Ferne Jacobs built this sculpture starting from the center of each circle, expanding and shaping the surface into a poignant vessel. She coiled and twined this form while her mother was dying. The title, Snow Circles, references a short story by Irish author James Joyce, “The Dead” (1914), that muses on how falling snow indiscriminately covers both the living and the dead. As Jacobs explains, “Stitch by stitch, cell by cell, I'm building a body,” and the circles speak to the cycle of life, from mother to child.

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