Artist Margaret Jacobs created a series of steel sculptures that are based off of Haudenosaunee utility craft objects historically created from the ash tree but re-imagined with other ancestral important plants and botanicals.
“My geographic inspiration for this project comes from my ancestral homelands and community of Akwesasne, the sovereign Mohawk nation that straddles the border of the US and Canada. Our nation is a basket weaving culture that heavily depends on the ash tree and as the Emerald Ash borer becomes more invasive in the local environment and our trees are quickly being taken, the potential loss of this traditional form of making has been at the forefront of my mind.”
BIOGRAPHY
Margaret Jacobs, Akwesasne Mohawk, is a metalsmith known for her steel sculpture and powder coated jewelry. Her work explores the tension and harmony between natural and man-made, often intermingling unexpected and contradicting materials to explore those relationships.
Recent awards include a 2019 artist in business leadership fellowship through the first peoples fund and a 2018 rebecca blunk fund award through new england foundation for the arts (nefa) and a 2022 United States artist fellowship nominee. She was named as one of Art New England magazine’s 10 emerging new england artists. Jacobs has participated in several artist residencies including at Franconia Sculpture Park in Minnesota and the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT where she received a native american fellowship through the harpo foundation. Recent exhibitions include The Boise Art Museum in Idaho; 516 Arts in Albuquerque, NM; The Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA and Ma’s house in Southampton, NY.
Her work has been featured in various print and online press including at mic.com in the article 11 native american artists whose work redefines what it means to be american, elle.com, and harper’s bazaar.
https://www.instagram.com/margaretofsteel
https://www.margaretjacobs.com/
Photo credits: Photos by Jill Bornand
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New York State Rural & Traditional Arts Fellowship 