A New Sky Inside Second Sky: Barbara Jo Borch’s Cloud Installation

Something unexpected has gathered overhead at Second Sky.

Look up and you’ll find clouds, but not the sort Tucson usually gives us. Barbara Jo Borch’s suspended forms drift through the room in black, white and translucent layers, joined by long streams of color that descend toward the space below. They change the feeling of the room simply by being there.

There is something wonderfully fitting about encountering Barbara Jo’s work at Second Sky. Her sculptures often explore the meeting place between nature and the built world, pairing organic forms with geometry, carefully constructed objects with things that appear spontaneous. Here, the architecture itself becomes part of the experience. Ceiling beams, lights, pipes, fabric, color and clouds all occupy the same visual landscape.

Barbara Jo brings a substantial history to this installation. Her work is held in public and private collections and has appeared in institutions including the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson Museum of Art, Pima Community College and the Tucson Airport Authority. She earned her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, followed by an MA and MFA from Northern Illinois University. She also served as a Department Chair and art faculty member at Pima Community College.

But you do not need to know any of that before encountering these clouds.

That may be part of their charm.

They reward the simple act of looking up.

Look Up When You Visit

Second Sky is already a place filled with things to discover, and Barbara Jo’s clouds add another layer to that experience. Walk underneath them. Change your angle. Notice where the translucent materials catch the light and where the darker forms seem to gather above the room.

Then look across the space.

You may discover that the ceiling has quietly become part of Second Sky’s landscape.

Come see the installation in person at Second Sky, 4141 E. Irvington Rd., Building A, Tucson, Arizona 85714.