New solar panels mounted atop the Henry Art Gallery’s entrance are being used to power artist Matthew Day Jackson’s sculpture “I Like America and America Likes Me.”

Exhibitions Manager Paul Cabarga said Silicon Energy is loaning the solar panels to the gallery while Jackson’s piece is on display, until Oct. 12.

Cabarga said in the future, the gallery might look to power exhibits from alternative sources.

“We are always interested in alternative solutions,” he said.

However, Cabarga said, it is difficult to hook up solar power to an existent power grid.

Betsey Brock, associate director for communications and outreach at the Henry Art Gallery, estimated the panels create three times the amount of electricity needed for “America.”

Jeremy Park, an electrical engineer at the UW, said that it is not impossible to put that excess power back into the power grid, but the correct safety features need to be in place.

Jackson is joined by two other artists, Jen Liu and David Maljkovic, who are showing their work as part of the exhibit The Violet Hour, the title of which refers to dusk. The artists’ pieces depict the metaphorical twilight of the modern world and the uncertainty that the future holds.

“The artists are looking at the human condition in this time,” Brock said. “He is seeking to answer a simple question about humanity.”

Jackson’s “America” is built on the metal frame of a crashed race car that was driven by his cousin. Neon fluorescent lights are attached to the chassis and use the solar panels.

Brock described the car as a vehicle for metaphysical transportation into the unknown. She said it helps explain why Jackson might have chosen to power the piece by solar panels. The transition to alternative fuels may be difficult for humankind to achieve, and the uncertainty embodied in “America” is very representational of this, she said.

Brass knuckles on a molded hand holding what appears to be the race car’s gearshift suggest that the journey may not be peaceful, but on closer investigation one can find a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt inscribed.

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of dreams,” it reads. By powering his artwork by solar panels, Jackson considers himself a believer of a dream.

“He is conscious about his role as an artist,” Brock said.

[Reach reporter Nikolaj Lasbo at news@

thedaily.washington.edu.]