Deborah Kruger’s Corona de Plumas
Unpacking the evolution of a piece
Corona de Plumas is a one-of-a-kind piece that evolved in an unusual way. The crown of this piece is evocative of feathered ceremonial objects used by indigenous peoples of the Amazon.
However, this wasn’t my intent. Initially, the crown was facing downwards and was designed to cover a large round sculpture. Somehow, no matter how I tried, these curved feathers just didn’t look right on the sculpture.
Eventually I tore the feathers off the sculpture and just pinned them to the wall. I think they hung there for at least a year.
One day, on a whim, I flipped the feathers upside down and suddenly a new piece sprung into being. I just love those magical moments of serendipity!
Corona de Plumas went on to incorporate three elements often found in my artwork: curved feathers, long tail feathers and painted cord, in this case a sisal rope that I partially unbraided.
Like many of my newer pieces, Corona de Plumas assembles into two sections, which makes it much easier to ship and install.
Corona de Plumas debuted in August and September 2023 at my solo show titled Avianto at the Joan Derryberry Gallery on the campus of Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee.
From there, the piece traveled to New York where it was shown in November 2023 at Blue Sky Gallery in Chinatown, New York (with Michael Pribich) as part of the Follow the Thread Festival sponsored by the Italian Arte Morbida magazine curated by Barbara Pavan.
In December 2024, Corona de Plumas traveled south and is currently on view at my solo show at the Block Gallery in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. The piece is hung in a dramatic location at the top of the large spiral staircase in the center of the two-story gallery.
This exhibition was curated by Stacy Bloom Rexrode and is titled Turbulence: Birds, Beauty, Language & Loss. The show runs through April 25, 2025.
Stay tuned for an Earth Day-themed Gallery Talk scheduled at the end of April
