(Park City, UT) — At the molecular heart of life, trees and humans are quite alike. We start as a seed and require the right environment and nourishment to mature. Over the course of our time on earth, we bloom, reproduce, and shed what no longer serves us. We grow in different directions, but our roots keep us grounded. Both man and tree are complex, interdependent, imperfect beings.
These parallels are what artist Jim Jacobs finds both fascinating and inspirational. In his exhibition, The Imperfections That Render Us Visible, opening on September 20th at Kimball Art Center, Jacobs grafts natural tree limbs into wooden tools, furniture, everyday objects, and even human hair.
“Grafting is an artistic process that uses two distinct plants, often trees, to make them more productive,” explained Nancy Stoaks, Kimball Art Center curator. “Jim’s work demands time and self-reflection. His pieces — gangly, elegant, contrived, fragile, and at times self-destructive — are a reflection on our complicated and often peculiar relationship with nature.”
Laura Addison, the 2019 Utah Visual Arts Fellowship Juror, is equally impressed with Jim’s work. She stated: “He makes the seamless transition of wood from its natural form to its sculpted counterpart appear effortless. Yet one recognizes simply by seeing Jacobs’s sculptures, the years of creative fortitude and accumulated knowledge about wood and sculptural methods that coalesced to make that transition so…simple.”
The exhibition will be on display at Kimball Art Center from September 20 through November 3rd. During this time Kimball Art Center will be offering a variety of community programming to expand on Jacobs’s work. Activities include:
Community Exhibition Reception
Friday, September 20, 6pm – 8pm
Free
Meet artist Jim Jacobs and celebrate this powerful exhibition.
Read and Re(View) – Kimball Art Center Book Club
October 24th, 7pm
Free
Uniting art and literature, Kimball Art Center hosts a book club discussion to help expand understanding of the exhibition. The book selected for this exhibition is New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winner, The Overstory by Richard Powers.
Group Critique Session with Jim Jacobs – open to all media
Saturday, November 2nd, 10am – 12pm
$20
Open to artists of all levels who desire constructive feedback on their artwork in a supportive environment. Registration includes a 15-minute critique led by exhibiting artist Jim Jacobs. Participants should be prepared to present two to three pieces. (If pieces are easily portable, please bring them to the session. If not, please email images of your works to nancy.stoaks@kimballartcenter.org by October 31st.
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