Jessi Heiner discusses the vehicle entry for the group Houston Stitching Together’s vehicle entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jessi Heiner discusses the vehicle entry for the group Houston Stitching Together’s vehicle entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jason Fochtman/Houston ChronicleAmy Erickson hangs sections of colorful stitchwork on a vehicle for Houston Stitching Together’s entry in this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the parade, threatened to remove that category before reinstating it at the last minute.

Amy Erickson hangs sections of colorful stitchwork on a vehicle for Houston Stitching Together’s entry in this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the parade, threatened to remove that category before reinstating it at the last minute.

Jason Fochtman/Houston ChronicleAmy Erickson connects colorful stitchwork on a vehicle for Houston Stitching Together’s entry in this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Amy Erickson connects colorful stitchwork on a vehicle for Houston Stitching Together’s entry in this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jason Fochtman/Houston ChronicleA laptop with a sticker that reads “Yarn Against the Machine” is seen as members of the group Houston Stitching Together work on the group’s entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

A laptop with a sticker that reads “Yarn Against the Machine” is seen as members of the group Houston Stitching Together work on the group’s entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jason Fochtman/Houston ChronicleAmy Erickson hangs sections of colorful stitchwork on a vehicle for Houston Stitching Together’s entry in this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Amy Erickson hangs sections of colorful stitchwork on a vehicle for Houston Stitching Together’s entry in this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jason Fochtman/Houston ChronicleA laptop with a sticker that reads “Yarn Against the Machine” is seen as members of the group Houston Stitching Together work on the group’s entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

A laptop with a sticker that reads “Yarn Against the Machine” is seen as members of the group Houston Stitching Together work on the group’s entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jason Fochtman/Houston ChronicleAmy Erickson connects colorful stitchwork on a vehicle for Houston Stitching Together’s entry in this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Amy Erickson connects colorful stitchwork on a vehicle for Houston Stitching Together’s entry in this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jason Fochtman/Houston ChronicleJessica Catrett sorts through yarn pieces to potentially hang on group Houston Stitching Together’s entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jessica Catrett sorts through yarn pieces to potentially hang on group Houston Stitching Together’s entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jason Fochtman/Houston ChronicleMembers of the group Houston Stitching Together work on the their entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Members of the group Houston Stitching Together work on the their entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jason Fochtman/Houston ChronicleAmy Erickson hangs sections of colorful stitchwork on a vehicle for Houston Stitching Together’s entry in this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Amy Erickson hangs sections of colorful stitchwork on a vehicle for Houston Stitching Together’s entry in this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle

The Houston Art Car Parade is Kerrianne Clabaugh’s Super Bowl.

For seven years, the art teacher and her students at Houston ISD’s Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center have spent hours transforming beads, pool noodles and gigantic busts of Salvador Dalí into elaborate mobile artworks. Last year, the school finally took home the parade’s top prize.

“It was a big surprise, but I think it was well deserved,” Clabaugh said.

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Now in her final year, the parade has taken on new meaning. Her longtime art partner launched a competing project at Westbury High School, creating a friendly rivalry.

But the work is also unfolding during a turbulent year for Houston ISD. The district has announced 14 campus closures and lost more than 8,000 students — including nearly 4,000 immigrant students — changes that are showing up in art car projects across the district.

At Sam Houston, the impact is personal. Former senior and soccer captain Mauro Yosueth Henriquez was deported to Honduras on Wednesday after nearly four months in an adult immigration detention center.

Clabaugh said she hopes the art car offers her students a sense of relief.

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“It’s their outlet. It’s just nice to give them that,” Clabaugh said. “I like to be that classroom where they want to go.”

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‘It just gets bigger’

More than 30 years ago, Rebecca Bass helped create the first HISD art car at Bellaire High School. Her work inspired other campuses to create their own art cars, and years later, she helped launch Sam Houston’s program, said Wendy Bejarano, a former Sam Houston teacher who transferred to Westbury this year.

“She kind of passed me the torch and pushed me to do an art car,” Bejarano said. “She definitely paved the way for all the art teachers.”

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The school has won several art car awards, raising the stakes for this year, Clabaugh said.

For Sam Houston’s “Dali-Dusa” project this year, Salvador Dalí’s head is topped with the head of a snake and paired with bejeweled elephants, glittering bodies and a Medusa-themed bust of Frida Kahlo.

“It just gets bigger and bigger every year,” Clabaugh said. “It definitely gets harder, because once you win big, everyone’s expecting you to keep doing big and amazing and crazy things.”

This year, she and Bejarano will be back-to-back. The two “sister cars” share some design elements but diverge on theme. While Sam Houston’s car focuses on one artist, Westbury’s is themed around the Renaissance era, complete with shimmering replicas of the “Creation of Adam,” “The Vetruvian Man” and “The Birth of Venus.”

Bejarano said hundreds of students contributed to the project.

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“It’s mostly exciting that everybody gets to participate,” Bejarano said. “It might be imperfect, but it’s perfect to (the students) because they got to do it.”

Houston Stitching Together’s entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade is seen, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Houston Stitching Together’s entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade is seen, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The knitting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle

New setbacks

Last year, parade watchers warmly received Houston Stitching Together’s “Save HISD” art car — so much so that it won the prize for Best Political Statement.

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The brightly knitted car — complete with hand-woven signs calling to “bring back books” and a papier-mâché bust of state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles — was designed to protest HISD’s ongoing state takeover.

“We were surprised, but it seemed like everybody really was supportive and loved us. That’s what we thought,” said Stitching Together’s Jessica Catrett. “Now it’s taken on a different tone.”

Just a week before this year’s competition, a mass email from parade organizer the Orange Show declared that to preserve the spirit of the event, political messages on vehicles were no longer allowed.

The Stitching Together team, which had almost completed a new, larger project for this year’s parade, was thrown into a tailspin — especially given the parade’s long history of protest.

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Tensions intensified when the Orange Show also announced it would no longer host the political category, citing concerns that Houston Stitching Together planned to organize a protest against the district’s state takeover. The category was reinstated after criticism, and the group’s Jessi Heiner said it plans to meet with the Orange Show after the parade to better understand the fallout. Orange Show also walked back its decision on political statements.

“I’m hoping that we can bridge the gap, figure out what happened and just build that relationship,” Heiner said.

The group has had plenty more protest signs to weave together this year. HISD’s state-appointed Board of Managers in February approved plans to close 12 campuses next year, citing enrollment declines and aging facilities. 

Every campus’ name is now displayed on the back of the art car. 

“The morning after the school closures, everyone was super sad,” said Amy Erickson, who protested the closure of Port Houston Elementary. “We thought, ‘What can we do? And there was the idea that we make a little tribute to the schools.”

The Texas Education Agency has also announced it will take over four school districts next year. Stitching Together this year themed its messaging around voting out Gov. Greg Abbott and voting for Democratic nominee Gina Hinojosa, who has spoken out against state intervention of public schools.

“What’s known as a granny hobby has really become a way that we can be loud and share a strong message,” Erickson said. “Soft yarn, but really tough message.”

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Jessi Heiner works alongside Amy Erickson as member of Houston Stitching Together work on the organization’s entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The kniting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jessi Heiner works alongside Amy Erickson as member of Houston Stitching Together work on the organization’s entry for this year’s Houston’s Art Car Parade, Thursday, April 9, 2026. The kniting group, known for its guerrilla-style, anti-Houston ISD takeover stance, won Best Political Statement in last year’s event. This year, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the organization that puts on the iconic parade through downtown Houston, threatened to remove that category altogether before reinstating it last minute.

Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle

New joys

This will be Clabaugh’s final parade before she moves to Florida to be closer to family. Elements of art cars from the past seven years are embedded throughout this year’s work, and Clabaugh said current and past students plan to attend the parade Saturday.

“All of this work just goes to one weekend, which is insane. But I love it,” Clabaugh said. “Knowing that I gave students the opportunity to show art that’s going to be seen by millions of people, and then see them actually want to come back to experience the thing again, is really awesome.”

It is unclear whether the Art Car Parade will maintain its political category next year. For now, Houston Stitching Together member Diana Alexander said she hopes the group’s car will inspire joy and conversation.

“I just keep thinking, if we take different approaches and reach people in different venues, then there will be enough momentum,” Alexander said. “Maybe we can be part of that answer.”