Exhibitions

THE INEXPRESSIBLE CONTAINED

Clearstory Arts / 1673 Holtzclaw Ave. January 2 - 31st

Jco Barie, Rachel LeAnn Veal Craven, Lisa Denney, Darcie Denton, Ayda Fisher, Katie Fleet, Jezmin Garcia, Tim Goldsmith, Grace Haley, Lisa Houser, Sarah Maginniss, Anna Wise, TJ Hanretta, Mary Ahern

13 local artists have been selected to collaborate with us in creating original works inspired by anonymous unsent letters collected during a series of mailbox pop-ups across Chattanooga.

The exhibit explores how letters written in anonymity transcend cultural constraints and linguistic boundaries. Drawing from Maggie Nelson’s reflection that “the inexpressible is (inexpressibly) contained within the expressed,” the show highlights how art enables us to voice what words alone cannot carry.

The Unsent Letter Mailbox is a participatory public art project that invites people to anonymously write letters they’ll never send and, in exchange, read one written by someone else. Founded in New York City, it has grown into salons, installations, and collaborations across the U.S., creating spaces of vulnerability, reciprocity, and human connection.