A new body of work from artist Cory Feder (previously featured here). Currently on display with smoke the moon, “Bluebird of Happiness,” spans textile, painting and ceramic work. United by a devotion to earth’s small wonders—to the ground and the sky—Feder’s works reflect the traditions of the past and hopes for the future. The bluebird is regarded as a harbinger of good fortune in various myths across cultures and geographies. Drawing on that symbol, as well as other creatures from her Korean ancestry, Feder explores her personal history through a mix of folk traditions and techniques like Colcha embroidery and clay paint.

In the San Luis Valley and rural northern New Mexico, Colcha is a means of preserving images of important places, stories and people through wool embroidery. Connecting with this practice serves as a personal tie to Feder’s homeland of Colorado and current home in New Mexico. Some believe the Colcha tradition originally arose from Chinese silk embroideries being imported into Mexico. The intersection of local and global forces reflects Feder’s own approach to the spiritual and mundane, grounding the mythical with the familiar.