ON VIEW THRU AUGUST 18, 2023: In “Once & Future Architecture,” Patrick Renner pays tribute to one of nature’s chief builders and architects, the mud dauber. Inspired by a piece he created in 2012 called “wooddauber,” Renner fills the AIA Architecture Center Houston with a larger-than-life dauber nest. Renner’s fascination with the non-aggressive wasps began when he noticed the laboriously constructed nests throughout his Houston studio. “The unseen labor of the insects daubing mud bit-by-bit in a meticulous way appealed to my sense of meditative construction,” said Renner.

Constructed from architecture refuse Renner collected over the years, the installation is a patchwork of found materials that wraps around the gallery providing viewers an immersive experience of the labor and craftsmanship. “The colloquial action of ‘daubing’ also feels like it bridges a gap in my practice with the usage of the various colors of painted wood; throughout my career as a sculptor, I’ve explored the relationship between form and color with a sculptural vernacular that bounces between the poles of architecture and painting,” said Renner.