"A Safe Place" is a solo exhibition by Texas-based artist Terry Hays, whose intricate, sculptural works exist at the intersection of painting, installation, and object-making. Meticulously crafted from layered cut-wood constructions, Hays’ work operates as both artifact and architecture, part map, part shield, part memory.

Drawing from a wide range of global artistic traditions, including Indonesian and Aboriginal art, Japanese ukiyo-e prints, and contemporary street art, his compositions merge pattern, texture, and vivid color to create immersive environments that blur the boundaries between the decorative and the deeply personal.

A former scenic artist for theater and television, Hays has spent his career mastering the art of world-building. In "A Safe Place," his most ambitious body of work to date, he constructs intricate visual landscapes that feel at once sacred and strangely familiar. These works function as portals, offering spaces of reflection, protection, and transformation while challenging conventional notions of materiality and storytelling. His ability to bridge craftsmanship, storytelling, and cultural history makes his work impossible to overlook– positioning him as an artist whose impact on Texas’ contemporary art landscape continues to grow.

On the evening of the opening reception, interdisciplinary artist Taylor Cleveland will unveil a projection mapping installation on the exterior of the gallery.

Following the opening reception, the exhibit will be on display through April 5.