Artwork copyright Joe Feddersen. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2011.

Artwork copyright Joe Feddersen. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2011.

Artwork copyright Joe Feddersen. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2011.

Artwork copyright Joe Feddersen. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2011.

Artwork copyright Joe Feddersen. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2011.

Artwork copyright Joe Feddersen. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2011 (detail).

Artwork copyright Joe Feddersen. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2011 (detail).

The Changer (dukwibel), 2011

Joe Feddersen
(American | Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, born 1953)

Location: The Evergreen State College, Olympia

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Joe Feddersen's work The Changer (dukwibel) honors his mentor and friend, artist Vi Hilbert (taqwseblu), with the story of how the Coast Salish people lifted the western sky to make the transition between the upper and lower worlds more difficult to cross. Just as the sky was lifting, four hunters bounded into the upper world, becoming the constellations.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with The Evergreen State College.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Celebrated artist Joe Feddersen (Okanagan and Arrow Lakes) explores Indigenous landscapes and icons, and the complex relationship between contemporary and native symbolism. He creates artworks in an array of mediums, including painting, printmaking, photography, collage, and works in glass.

Feddersen was a professor of art at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Western Washington, from 1989 to 2009 and is Emeritus Faculty. He is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Washington in Seattle and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Feddersen lives and works in the small town of Omak, in Northeastern Washington. In 2025, he was honored with a Washington State Governor's Arts and Heritage Award.