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Victor Thomas Jacoby was a local artist whose medium was French tapestry. He was internationally renowned for innovation in his field. When Jacoby passed away in 1997, he left a generous bequest to set up a fund with Humboldt Area Foundation, which would support visual artists and craftspeople, and encourage the exploration of new ideas, materials, techniques, mediums, images, and excellence. During his lifetime, he created over 440 works including a monumental, 192 square foot depiction of a white foxglove.

His vision inspired others to add to his fund. In 2009, Rosalind Novick left a gift to help accomplish Jacoby’s dream. Each fall, local artists apply through Humboldt Area Foundation for the Victor Thomas Jacoby Award by submitting ten examples of their work and a description of how they want to innovate and push their art to the next level. Two local artists were recently selected for this award; Joan Gold to continue her work expanding the possibilities of painted collage and Mary Mallahan to create A Negotiable Utopia: The Humboldt Bay Project.

Jacoby’s dedication to supporting artistic innovation has resulted in 20 grants to Humboldt County visual artists and crafts people, encouraging the exploration of new ideas, materials, techniques and mediums. His gentle wit, charming smile, and his infamous birthday parties are commemorated each December at the Victor Thomas Jacoby Award Celebration. At this event, each year’s recipients receive their award and celebrate the man who left this gift to support working artists in perpetuity.

Vera Vietor brought Humboldt Area Foundation to life in 1972. Vera’s charitable spirit and commitment to our community has been echoed by thousands of our neighbors, whose gifts are working to educate, inspire, provide food and shelter, care for animals, protect our environment and provide leadership and problem solving to our region. Humboldt Area Foundation has given nearly $60 million in grants and scholarships and grown to over $78 million in total assets.

For more information about the Victor Thomas Jacoby Award, please contact program coordinator Cassandra Wagner at 707-442-2993 or by email at cassandraw@hafoundation.org.

Photo captions:

1. Mary Mallahan is working on A Negotiable Utopia: The Humboldt Bay Project, which will be an interpretive ceramic model of Humboldt Bay accompanied by individual wall-mounted videos.

2. Cheers 2012 by Joan Gold is part of her project, Expanding the Possibilities of Painted Collage through mixed media on canvas.