2nd Friday ArtWalk: Opening Reception for “Jen Clay: Soft Night, Watching”

Join the Ackland in celebrating the newest installation in our ART& space, Jen Clay: Soft Night, Watching, on view from August 8, 2025, through July 12, 2026.

Soft Night, Watching, is an interactive quilted installation that invites viewers to experience an evening forest scene filled with uncanny forms and figures. Artist Jen Clay (American, born 1985) utilizes the tactile properties of her hand-dyed cotton, satin, velvet, and polyester minky fabric to create art that welcomes physical handling. Into these textiles, she constructs flaps that hide ambiguous phrases like “You’ll always be mine,” and “It will never be like this again” – statements that can seem optimistic or menacing. Clay combines the soft textures, the text, and the not-quite-familiar forms to inspire both comfort and unease.

Clay uses the strangeness of an archetypal forest as a metaphor for the sense of unfamiliarity and disorientation that can accompany mental health experiences such as hallucinations. She writes, “I aim to confront and understand fear and anxiety, both for myself and others. My work allows individuals to touch, hear, and immerse themselves in a safe space to experience uncertainty.”

During the 2nd Friday ArtWalk, we will be celebrating with drinks and snacks. Clay will be onsite to talk with attendees, as well as make some informal remarks and answer the crowd’s questions about her artwork around 7PM.

Join us for an evening honoring Jen Clay and welcoming the installation to our community.

RSVP is required. Each person RSVPing may claim a drink ticket (non-alcoholic or alcoholic); ID will be checked at the bar.