Chris Maynard: Soar
Chris Maynard’s art challenges the way we look at the natural world by calling attention to one of the most common and complex natural objects: the feather.
Maynard carves feathers into intricate art in order to make their natural beauty more noticeable. His work highlights the patterns and colors of the feathers themselves, inviting the viewer to look and look again. For him, feathers represent flight, transformation, and a bridge between our present lives and our dreams.
“We want to fly but cannot.” he says. “But birds can, so their feathers become symbols of this yearning. Feathers are perfect by themselves.” Presenting them slightly altered but still retaining their featherness, he encourages people to see feathers in new ways, promoting beauty and new connections.
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.