New gallery opening features renowned artist and alumnus, Joe Feddersen

The Wenatchee Valley College Art Department is thrilled to announce the opening of the MAC Gallery in the new Music and Art Center with an impressive exhibition titled “Transitions” by renowned artist and WVC graduate, Joe Feddersen.

The exhibit began Monday, Sept. 24 and will continue through Friday, Nov. 2, during regular building hours. An artist reception will take place Friday, Oct. 5, from 6 to 9 p.m., in conjunction with Wenatchee First Fridays.

“As we look back at the great tradition of the WVC Art Department and forward to a promising future in our new facilities, the inaugural exhibition is the perfect metaphor for our new space,” said Scott Bailey, WVC art faculty member.

A member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Feddersen is an artist of this community whose work simultaneously references the tradition of his heritage and the realities of present-day society.

Feddersen was a student at WVC during the 1970s, studying printmaking with Robert Graves in the ascendant art department. After receiving degrees from the University of Washington and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he taught for two decades at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, exhibiting his work in major museums and galleries throughout the world. He recently retired from Evergreen and returned to his hometown of Omak, where he continues to ambitiously produce and exhibit work.

“Transitions” includes wall-hung pieces utilizing a variety of printmaking techniques, as well as sculptural vessels of blown glass, all mixing elements that blur the lines between Feddersen’s traditional culture and contemporary imagery. The exhibition features a six-foot by 12-foot, multi-paneled print piece titled “Okanogan 1,” and delicate, new mirrored glass works.