91探花

John Feodorov鈥檚 newest collection, titled 鈥淵ellow Dirt,鈥� was custom-made for 91探花鈥檚 Kennedy Museum of Art. 

Feodorov, a Seattle-based contemporary Native American artist, was recommend on behalf of the College of Fire Arts' School of Art + Design faculty and museum staff to come to 91探花 as a part of the College of Fine Arts鈥� Visiting Artists and Scholars program.

Mateo Galvano, 91探花 College of Fine Arts鈥� School of Art + Design recruitment and retention liaison and lecturer, knew Fedorov long before he was invited to OHIO. 

Galvano and Feodorov first connected in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The two worked together at a restaurant-bookstore hybrid in the 1980s and collaborated with the artists employed there.

鈥淲e would actually do performances and art shows at the caf茅-bookstore,鈥� Galvano said. 鈥淚t was a really special time.鈥�

Galvano explained that after Feodorov left the city, they lost touch with each other. Eventually, Galvano saw Feodorov featured some years later on a PBS series called 鈥淎rt21,鈥� and was encouraged to reconnect.

鈥淚 was really excited about that, because I saw he鈥檚 continued to make this amazing work,鈥� Galvano said. 鈥淗e had really gone further into his work as a visual artist, making interesting sculptures and performances.鈥�

Feodorov created 鈥淵ellow Dirt鈥� as a response to the 鈥渙ngoing health and environmental crises on and near the Navajo reservation from over 500 abandoned uranium mines,鈥� according to his . 

The Kennedy Museum of Art hosts an extensive collection of Native American art, Registrar Lisa Quinn said, including over 600 weavings, some of them by Navajo weavers, and around 1,200 pieces of jewelry and silverwork by a variety of cultural groups.

鈥淭he promise of museums [is to] collect and care for objects, and also interpret them,鈥� Quinn said. 鈥淲e felt it very important to bring those ideas into the 21st century.鈥�

Feodorov explained how he wanted to communicate this message of environmental contamination through the paintings, while also encouraging viewers to keep looking at it.

鈥淲hat I鈥檓 really hoping for is that the work plants a seed in their gut, and that it doesn鈥檛 quite leave them when they leave the room,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n art, there鈥檚 always this tension between how do you address something serious, but also make something that鈥檚 beautiful? 鈥� Art is all about manipulation. How do you, as the artist, seduce somebody to look at your artwork?鈥�

Galvano echoed Feodorov鈥檚 mission and encouraged students to consume the art thoughtfully.

鈥淚 want students to not just look at the painting really quickly and then move on, like how we do through our Instagram's scrolling,鈥� Galvano said. 鈥淚 would want them to spend some more time and 鈥榓sk鈥� the painting about their meaning.鈥�

An associate professor of art at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, Feodorov said he鈥檚 looking forward to interacting with 91探花鈥檚 graduate students, as Washington University does not have graduate program for art. During his time at OHIO, Feodorov will be engaging with a variety of arts students and classes.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e developed a complex understanding, or at least questions if not understanding, of art and their role in it,鈥� he said.

Quinn said through spending time with a seasoned artist, students can better understand ways to express themselves and their ideas through their artwork.

鈥淪peaking with John and talking about his process 鈥� and how he incorporates that research into his work, I think those are all processes that the students will be highly engaged with,鈥� she said. 

Feodorov began painting the 12-painting series last summer and finished the last piece just a few months ago.

鈥淚 was looking at them as they had been unpacked,鈥� Galvano said. 鈥淎nd I was so impressed by the scale of the project, the commitment to the imagery and the palette of the work. [There was] this kind of meditation on these situations.鈥�

The exhibit will be open to the public on Sept. 23 through December, and the Kennedy Museum is free to all students, faculty and community members. An opening reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 23.