I have the strangest feeling... after seeing a Madonna stubbed with cigarette butts, inanimate doppelgängers, a ghostly pink termite tent, Waffle House reimagined as pastel purgatory, maps that lead nowhere, rodent skulls aplenty, and, finally, a chili spaghetti monster clutching two oyster crackers to its, uh, chest. These pieces—crafted from paint-splattered archival materials, embroidered photography, surreal collage, and bondage-clad sculpture—tap into the existential dread that surfaces when our expectations of place clash with our lived experiences. I hope that viewing “this place is strange” leaves you equally unsettled, caught somewhere between recognition and unease. 

— Morgan Laurens, juror