Kachina Leigh
… the joy that kills, 2026
Collage with embroidery on hand-dyed fabrics, vintage photographs, and paper ephemera 26x28 inches
A collection of images and stitching inspired by Kate Chopin's 1894 short story "The Story of an Hour," that explores the restricted lives of women in the 19th century through the sudden, ironic death of Louise Mallard.
Kachina Leigh
V is for … vagenda, from the series The Alphabet of Expectations, front, 2025
Vintage Child's Dress, Embroidery 12x16
This series is comprised of 26 dresses, one for each letter of the alphabet, using words that directly relate to women and behaviors ascribed to them. Many of the words were overheard in my high school classroom, used by males and females alike.
Kachina Leigh
V is for … vagenda, from the series The Alphabet of Expectations, back view, 2025
Vintage Child's Dress, Embroidery 12x16
This series is comprised of 26 dresses, one for each letter of the alphabet, using words that directly relate to women and behaviors ascribed to them. Many of the words were overheard in my high school classroom, used by males and females alike.
Kachina Leigh
feed sac, 2023
vintage and hand-dyed fabrics, embroidery, shell 14x14 inches
Using an unfinished quilt square with a more visually interesting back than quilt design, I embroidered the side view of a embryonic sac, which is referenced in the title of the work. Within the inner most space is the fragment of a shell.
Kachina Leigh
mother/daugher/sister/saint, 2022 - day 245 of installation
dresses sewn by artist, embellished with beading, embroidery, silk screening, and encaustic medium on plaster dress forms variable
Based on a 1938 family photo showing my Great Grandmother, Grandmother and Aunt, I sewed and embellished three dresses using a similar pattern from the 1930s, mixing family lore with the iconography associated with the Saints by the same name to create the imagery on each dress. The work was installed in Campbell, Nebraska; my Grandmother, Aunt and Mother were all born in the house that once sat on this site. The road leading to the installation is a minimum maintenance road, impassible during storms or snow. These women were not saints in the strict sense of the word, but their devotion to family and their stewardship of the land was sincere, reverent, and unwavering. I believe "the ladies", as they have come to be called, appreciate the quiet isolation, enjoying the ability to witness the seasons shift from fall to winter, spring to summer, directly connected to the land on which they lived. This installation is intended to be on site for a full year.
Kachina Leigh
mother/daughter/sister/saint, 2021 - day 1 of installation
dresses sewn by artist, embellished with beading, embroidery, silk screening, and encaustic medium on plaster dress forms variable
Based on a 1938 family photo showing my Great Grandmother, Grandmother and Aunt, I sewed and embellished three dresses using a similar pattern from the 1930s, mixing family lore with the iconography associated with the Saints by the same name to create the imagery on each dress. The work was installed in Campbell, Nebraska; my Grandmother, Aunt and Mother were all born in the house that once sat on this site. The road leading to the installation is a minimum maintenance road, impassible during storms or snow. These women were not saints in the strict sense of the word, but their devotion to family and their stewardship of the land was sincere, reverent, and unwavering. I believe "the ladies", as they have come to be called, appreciate the quiet isolation, enjoying the ability to witness the seasons shift from fall to winter, spring to summer, directly connected to the land on which they lived. This installation is intended to be on site for a full year.
Kachina Leigh
materiality of mourning – number one in a series of thirteen, 2019
reclaimed leather and abaca over wire base 9 inches in width by 13 inches in height; 9 inches deep
Kachina Leigh
materiality of mourning – number five in a series of thirteen, 2019
reclaimed leather with wax 9 inches in width by 13 inches in height; 9 inches deep
