Joe Feddersen

Joe Feddersen (born 1953) is a Colville sculptor, painter, photographer and mixed-media artist. He is known for creating artworks strong in geometric patterns reflective of what is seen in the environment, landscape and his Native American heritage.

Background Early life and higher education

Joe Feddersen was born in Washington state to a German American father and an Okanagan/Sinixt mother.

He was first exposed to printmaking at Wenatchee Valley College under the direction of artist Robert Graves. Feddersen earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking from the University of Washington in 1983 where he studied under artists Michael Spafford and Glen Alps. In 1989 he obtained his Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Following his Masters he became an art instructor at The Evergreen State College.

Current life

When not creating art or teaching, Feddersen also serves as a writer, curator, consultant and active member of the Colville Confederated Tribal Arts & Humanities Board. He received, in 2001, an Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art award. In 2009 he left his teaching position at Evergreen State College and returned to Omak, Washington, his hometown. While occasionally teaching at Evergreen, he has been focusing on exploring the medium glass and has become involved with Pilchuck Glass School and the Museum of Glass.

Artistic career Early work

My prints and mixed media work explore personal perceptions of my surroundings...Earlier prints become the departure for new work. They incorporate printing techniques and the addition of staples, pins, mirrors, oil pastels and acrylics o achieve a rich surface quality white retaining luminosity of previous layers. - 1987

Printwork

In the early 1990s Feddersen created a series of monoprints based on blanket designs of the Plains Indians and Pendleton Woolen Mills. Heavy in geometry and layers and blended colors, the series were described by art scholar W. Jackson Rushing III as "watery veils of color", which brought out further comparisons to Rothko.

2010Across Cultures: Fifty Objects from the Macy Collection, Northern Arizona UniversityInfinity of Nations, National Museum of the American Indian, New York. Joe Feddersen: Vital Signs, Hallie Ford Museum of Art

2006Made at the Museum: Northwest Selections, Museum of Glass 2005Art Objects, Portland International AirportChanging Hands 2: Art Without Reservation, Museum of Arts and DesignLand Mark, Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture 2003Continuum, National Museum of the American Indian 2002Lasting Impressions, Cornell University 2001After the Storm, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art 1991Our Land/Ourselves, University at Albany, SUNY 19873rd Biennial Native American Fine Art Invitational, Heard Museum 1986New Directions/Northwest, Portland Art Museum 1984No Beads, No Trinkets, Palais des Nations

Feddersen's work has also shown in numerous private galleries as well as other public institutions such as the Whatcom Museum of History and Art, Simon Fraser University, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Shoreline Community College, among others.

Notable collections

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art Hallie Ford Museum of Art Harborview Medical Center Heard Museum Johnson & Johnson Corporation Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center Merrill Lynch Microsoft Corporation National Museum of the American Indian Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture Pacific Northwest Bell Peabody Essex Museum Portland Art Museum Seattle Art Museum Tacoma Art Museum University of Hawaii University of Western Sydney U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Department of State Whitney Museum of American Art

His work is also seen in the collections of the cities of Portland, Seattle and Ephrata, Washington.

Notable awards John H. Hauberg Fellowship, 2009, Pilchuck Glass School Eiteljorg Native American Fine Art Fellowship, 2001, Eiteljorg Museum