Grand Valley State University’s Department of Visual & Media Arts (VMA) is displaying a new exhibition titled “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere” at the Stuart B. and Barbara H. Padnos Student Art Gallery in the Calder Fine Arts Center. The exhibition, which opened on Jan. 11 and will be on display until Feb. 1, has art created by interdisciplinary artist Emmy Bright. Bright’s work investigates empathy, boundaries and how we navigate our own lives. 

Bright worked alongside artists studying at GVSU to arrange the pieces in the exhibition. Incorporating a combination of textiles, prints and handmade found objects, Bright and her student collaborators focused on displaying a diverse arrangement of art for the exhibition. “Dysfunctional Mazes,” a series of blankets on the exhibition floor that visitors can walk on, is one of the pieces that Bright and students collaborated on.

“I think walking in a gallery and on the work is unusual, even in a craft show,” Bright said. “There is some wonky modernism, there’s interesting crafts, but also contemporary art.”

One of Bright’s primary objectives with the exhibition was to collaborate with the next generation of artists. Similarly, Dulcee Boehm, VMA’s Curator of Visual Resources, said it was an incredible opportunity for students to gain real-world experience while working directly with a seasoned professional in their field. 

“It’s one thing to create a body of work or piece of art and it can be quite another to consider how to install it in an exhibition context,” Boehm said. “It takes a particular skill set to install artworks, which often includes working collaboratively with others, regardless of where the work might be shown. Being aware of this process is an essential skill set, and the process is important to demystify for students.”

Bright said she appreciated Bohem bringing her to campus and helping with the organization of the exhibition.

“I’m so grateful for this chance to exhibit work that I’ve never exhibited before, and that Dulcee trusted me to bring work that she hadn’t even seen,” Bright said. “The inspiration for the arrangement of the pieces was learning about the work alongside the students.” 

Bright said the exhibition’s title has a story of its own. Based on a Leonard Cohen song, “Everyone Knows This is Nowhere,” and Neil Young’s album of the same, Bright said music is vital to her artistic process. In the case of Cohen’s song, Bright attributes the dark and pessimistic undertones of the track as a major influence on her vision of the exhibition. 

“I always make a playlist when I make a body of work because the mood of that playlist always helps me return to the right mood for that body of work,” Bright said. “I don’t know if you’d call that an inspiration, but it’s sort of like an anchor or a touchstone. I’m always asking questions and trying to figure out how one lives.”