Pulp | Arts Around Ann Arbor

A new exhibit at Ann Arbor's CLUSTER Museum helps us remember what we might forget or ignore

by Pulp Staff
Tue, 01/27/2026 - 1:00pm

VISUAL ART PREVIEW

Textile with embroidery showing an African American man in front of a mid-19th century car and home.

Quinn A. Hunter, Paradise series No.1, variable sizes, 2020-2023. Image courtesy of CLUSTER Museum.

Ann Arbor's CLUSTER Museum is highlighting what's left behind when something is taken away.

The Smoke, the Ghost, the Balm, which runs January 30 to February 28, "pays homage to the residue that rises from disappearances and forced erasures," according to the press release. The artists include Quinn A. Hunter (Ann Arbor), Eleanor Oakes (Detroit), and Haley Darya Parsa (New York City).

“This visually gorgeous exhibition teaches us how artists can resolve narratives and force remembrance through mark-making and intentional documentation," wrote Thea A. Eck, CLUSTER Museum co-founder and exhibition curator, in the release.

Textile with embroidery showing a home in Detroit with the white silhouettes of three humans—two adults, one child.

Quinn A. Hunter, Paradise series No.2, variable sizes, 2020-2023. Image courtesy of CLUSTER Museum.

Hunter’s Paradise series uses photos of Detroit's erased Black Bottom neighborhood to create quiltmaking in the African-American lineage, augmented by digital means.

Two images, with abstract color washes over the exterior walls of the old building. The image on the left is gray and green mostly; the right painting is mostly gray and blue.

Eleanor Oakes, Removed Series (2 pieces), 35"x43.5”, paint on archival inkjet prints, 2023.

Oakes’ photographs capture altered building facades that once featured signage, billboards, and paintings. Once these visual elements were removed, there are often textured, colorful spaces left behind.

Two images: the one on the left shows a medal hanging over the face of someone shaking the hands with a woman; the image on the right is that of a tea bag and its paper handle and string.

Haley Darya Parsa, left: Shadowed in War, acrylic on canvas, 16"x12", 2025.
Haley Darya Parsa, right: We all drink the same tea, acrylic on canvas, 12"x9", 2023.
Images courtesy of CLUSTER Museum.

Parsa’s cyanotypes and paintings, inspired by her Iranian heritage, capture everyday objects that are easy to overlook, revealing fresh meanings behind familiar items.

A calendar of events for The Smoke, the Ghost, the Balm is as follows:

➥ January 30, 6-9 pm: opening reception for the exhibition
➥ February 1, 1 pm: The “Celie”: A poetic form of healing - workshop
➥ February 7, 1 pm: Forbidden Words - workshop
➥ February 21, 6:30 pm: Smoke & Mirrors Re/Written - author reading
➥ February 22, 1:30 pm: Being in the Actual - workshop
➥ February 27, 7 pm - Love is the Devil - post Q & A with April Baer from Michigan Public's "Stateside"
➥ February 28, 11 am: Arts & Culture Cafe with Quinn A. Hunter, Eleanor Oakes, and curator Thea A. Eck

Poster promoting the CLUSTER Museum’s The Smoke, the Ghost, the Balm exhibit. It has a collage with all the info text on top.

The Smoke, the Ghost, the Balm is at CLUSTER Museum, 307 North Main Street, Ann Arbor. It runs from January 30 to February 28; admission is free. Visit clustermuseum.org for more information.