ANDERSON GALLERY

Jack Mays (1938-2014) began his journey as a sculptor, navigating the art world before eventually finding his niche in sketching lively, everyday scenes. He became a Ferndale icon, beloved for his deep devotion to both his craft and his community. Mays was a fixture of the local landscape, often found perched in his white plastic chair for up to 18 hours at a time. There, he meticulously captured the world around him, freezing the smallest details of Ferndale life in time.

“In my earlier days as a sculptor, I reacted to the news and worldly themes—Nixon, the shootings at Kent State, as well as local issues and Western themes,” Mays stated in an artist statement. These ideas are evident throughout his works, both his sculptures and drawings. He is most remembered by his series of drawings depicting the main street of Ferndale and other known sites, such as a multi-page panoramic view of the cemetery, which took him three years to complete.

In a previous interview, Mays stated, “I’m not drawing for myself”, Jack Mays said. “The drawings are for the community. Everything I see in life is always qualified by, or relative to, the process of drawing, and that’s what makes life worth living.” His ideas and memories live on throughout Humboldt, such as the started tradition of the Kinetic Sculpture Race, bringing together the community for a multiple-day, multiple-terrain race.