Creativity and Innovation abound at the Gallery San Isabel
The Visuospatial Education Center (VEC) at the Gallery San Isabel, 1610 N. Salem Ave., is a hub for creativity and innovation on Pueblo’s East Side.
Founder and CEO Dr. Theresa Ferg is an artist, educator and psychophysics researcher with five college degrees. She has developed new research on education, sculpted notable people and managed significant projects throughout her career.
For her works, Dr. Ferg uses an Italian Portraiture style on a fixed armature—an internal skeleton used to support the sculpture—and traditional water based clay. Some of these works can be seen on display at the gallery. To learn more about the Gallery San Isabel, visit https://gallerysanisabel.com/.
Dr. Ferg not only has made connections with notable people and sculpted multitudes of pieces. She has learned to see the world in a unique way through her study of visuospatial ability—an educational concept that is researched and discussed at the VEC.
What is visuospatial ability?
Visuospatial ability is the human brain’s ability to perceive, understand and interact with spatial relationships in a three-dimensional world. Dr. Ferg has developed new research on this subject and has even created the Matrix©—a game that allows students to practice visuospatial concepts like perspective and perception while uncovering their innovative side.
Dr. Ferg’s research has led to the creation of assessments that are making their way into schools. Educators and students alike can take the assessment with Dr. Ferg to learn more about visuospatial ability.
Thanks to Dr. Ferg’s detailed work on visuospatial ability, VEC is recognized as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award and grant winner. More information about the VEC is available at visuospatialeducationcenter.com.
‘A piece of Taekwondo history’
One of the most notable individuals sculpted by Dr. Ferg was General Choi Hong Hi, a man regarded as the founder and “father” of the martial art Taekwondo. General Choi met Dr. Ferg in 1995 and personally commissioned her to create statues honoring his legacy.
“(General Choi) really felt that Taekwondo would give the world population a manner in which they can cooperate and learn from one another,” Dr. Ferg said.
Dr. Ferg has created “heroic” busts of the General that are slightly larger than life-size as well as statues of the General in a common Taekwondo posture—“Heaven Hands.” After they were completed, General Choi gave the original Heaven Hand statuettes to some of Taekwondo’s most accomplished students.
In 2025, Dr. Ferg’s statues of General Choi are commercially available for purchase. You can visit gallerysanisabel.com/taekwondo to learn more and potentially own what the gallery calls “a piece of Taekwondo history.”
