This election year, “Vote Blue Sky.” 

Gallery Hours: Saturdays, 1-5, Box 13, 6700 Harrisburg, Houston, TX 77011

This installation by artist Claire Drennan consists of quilted letters spelling out the word “V-O-T-E,” displayed in the converted storefront window of BOX 13 ArtSpace on Harrisburg Avenue in Houston’s East End. In an array of blues, each letter is fashioned from a quilted patchwork of found textiles, stuffed with more found textiles. Viewed from across the street, the piece blurs the line between street and sky.

Blue sky is a recurring theme in Claire’s work, a shorthand she uses for taking the long view. Since moving to Houston’s East End in 2014, she has been captivated by the city’s saturated skies and exuberant vegetation against an urban backdrop. Originally from rural Tennessee, Claire grew up on thirteen acres of woods and fields, adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In her family, the natural world was both ubiquitous and sacred.

The timing of this exhibition coincides with the 2020 presidential election, the coronavirus pandemic and the continued struggle for racial justice in our country. “Vote Blue Sky,” with its patchwork of materials, is an invitation for us to choose hope over despair and become active participants in building our shared future.