Maggie D. Fedorov

Maggie D. Fedorov

Artist Statement

As a museum-quality taxidermist specializing in birds and small mammals & reptiles, Maggie D. Fedorov creates sculpture that is both elegy and inquiry; an invitation to bear witness to the complex entanglement between the human experience and the natural world. Maggie's taxidermy practice centers birds in her symbolic lexicon not just as the result of a personal obsession, but also for their symbolic weight as beacons of hope; ambassadors of the future; and symbols of ancient wisdom, intuition, and connection in the face of accelerating ecological decline. Through diverse channels of inquiry each work asks: What remains? What might still be protected?

Rooted in scientific and anatomical knowledge and guided by reverence, Maggie's biological preservation work resists spectacle and "trophy" in favor of intimacy. It is the quiet violence of environmental change and the human narratives entangled within them; habitat loss, climate change, mass extinctions. Maggie's work utilizes ethically sourced specimens and salvaged materials. Beyond allowing the individual material history of each specimen to contribute to the narrative of the piece, her use of roadkill and hunted specimens draw attention to the issue of industrial animal byproduct and road waste and debate around what we consider "ethical" when we discuss how we treat the earth and all who live here.

Maggie's current body of work explores themes of communion, hope, and the potential for collective healing in the dawn of decline. Particularly drawn to storytelling that challenges colonial legacies of dominance over nature, she instead makes space for grief, resilience, and community. The installations Maggie creates are tender in scale and detail, designed to slow the viewer down; to create a space of contemplation and care.

Maggie believes that her role as Preparer of these works is not to speak for nature, but to co-create with it; bearing witness, asking questions, and modeling spaces where difficult truths and immaculate beauty can bring out the best and the worst in each other for us to consider.

Maggie’s Background & Experience

As a descendant of early North American pioneer and mountain man Daniel Boone, closeness with nature more than runs in Maggie’s blood; it’s a tradition and way of life she’s observed since she could walk. As a lifelong artist, leaning into the art of preparation brought together Maggie’s former careers in Wildlife Control & in Funeral Services in the form of a creative outlet that could not be ignored. Maggie first began learning the technical skills of preparation in 2019, and after a period of four years without practice she began anew. Maggie began studying the art of bird taxidermy with Matt Klope, retired Federal Wildlife Biologist and Taxidermist behind Whidbey Island Taxidermy where she became proficient in Waterfowl & Upland Game Taxidermy. In Spring 2025, Maggie studied bird taxidermy under Best-in-World winning Museum Taxidermist Allis Markham of Prey Taxidermy in Los Angeles, CA and came home ready to make waves with Small & Exotic Bird Taxidermy. Summer 2025 brought the official opening of Maggie’s home studio where she currently practices her craft and hopes that her shop can be a place where you can come re-connect with with yourself and with nature; reset, and leave feeling lighter.

Community is sacred. Maggie understands this viscerally, which is why her volunteer experience began as a high school student when Maggie was selected for Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo Corps Teen Volunteer Program where she had the joy of interacting with park guests, learning behavioral data collection, and gaining a sense of pride in service. Today Maggie’s volunteer efforts continue in the form of Volunteer Specimen Preparation for the Whidbey Island Audubon Society Bird Library under Robin Llewellyn and Matt Klope. Under permit of the Audubon Society, Maggie has had the privilege of preparing protected species such as the Common Loon, Great Blue Heron, Sharp-Shinned Hawk, Barred Owl, and more.

With a business model inspired by Maggie’s first career in Funeral Services, every specimen that comes through our door is the most important specimen that we’ve ever worked on. Reach out today to chat about what’s most important to you; whether that’s a beloved pet, a museum diorama, bone and skull cleaning, or wet specimen preservation.