“Holding Up the Sky” is a collective community endeavor, and you are invited to participate! Together, we support each other through environmental devastation and personal loss, and raise ecological awareness. We inhabit a beautiful planet, sharing it with countless diverse life forms. We all deserve saving. We can help each other.

I started Holding Up the Sky to fight the helplessness I feel. I feel helpless to effect real change in the face of a climate catastrophe. In Phoenix; last summer was “the hottest ever” and this summer will be hotter. And, more personally, my sky fell in  2022 when my husband died a horrible death . I felt helpless as he tried  valiantly to survive cancer–and I could not save him.  I want to be brave now and work with others to create change.

Do you remember the story of Chicken Little? She panics when an acorn falls on her head, and rushes to her neighbors in a frantic attempt to convince them that the sky is falling and that the king must be alerted. Her friends and neighbors follow her, but the outcome is far from favorable. Chicken Little is castigated as a fear mongering alarmist–but I want to reframe this story and recognize that Chicken Little is a hero. Despite her fear and her conviction that the world was crumbling around her, she took decisive action and raised the alarm.

The Project

What does it mean to “hold up the sky”? It’s a community effort where we create symbolic pieces representing the fallen sky. At workshops in my studio and other community venues, participants paint large objects—broken ceramics or recycled foam and paper—in shades of blue that match the sky. We spend time observing the sky, mixing paints and glazes to deepen our connection with the natural world.

Next, we choose a day and location. A group hikes to a mountaintop, carrying the heavy pieces of sky, and at the top, we lift these  pieces in a symbolic effort to repair the sky. Conversations, serious and personal, and not, happen. These events are documented with video and photography. Some participants paint objects without hiking, and others join the hike without painting—an inclusive approach to symbolically mend our collective sky, which feels like it is falling everywhere and on all of us.

You can also participate by sending your own “fallen sky” piece—a torn paper or broken object painted blue—to the Rocking S Art Ranch, attention Patricia Sannit. The address is below. Include a note explaining why your sky is falling. Your contribution can be carried to the mountaintop by someone or shared through a picture of you atop your own symbolic peak, potentially featured in an upcoming exhibition. This project resonates with environmental consciousness and community care.

Ways to Participate

1. Paint the Sky Blue: Local participants can join me at Rocking S Art Ranch or other locations for workshops where we paint pieces of the fallen sky together. Contact me for workshop dates: psclaystudio@gmail.com. Location: Rocking S Art Ranch, 3131 E Sheridan St, Phoenix 85008
2. Create on Your Own: Anyone, anywhere can participate independently. Paint a shard of broken object or torn heavy paper blue and contact me for shipping details.
3. Join a Hike: Join the mailing list to receive information about meeting points and times to hike together with our symbolic sky pieces, reflecting on how we can heal the world and support each other.

This project has grown with numerous workshops and hikes in Phoenix, exhibited at various venues including DeSarthe Gallery in Scottsdale, ASU’s Sky Song Center for Innovation, and Phoenix Art Museum. Supported by the Phoenix Office of Art and Culture, “Holding Up the Sky” continues to expand to other locations and welcomes participants worldwide.

Get Involved

Please consider joining me in this meaningful endeavor, where collective action draws attention to our capacity to mend our metaphorical sky.

Let’s make a difference together!

Patricia Sannit

More Details

For participation, support, or further information, contact me at psclaystudio@gmail.com.