Fistful
In a room gridded by hundreds of stripped sticks, order, control, containment, even self-erasure seems to have won. This is a site of emotional compression. Every line suggests a task completed, a feeling suppressed or carried for someone else. This is a landscape of caregiving and overstimulation. A space that holds the desire to be everything for everyone. And yet, it is also a space of choice, and ultimately, of release.
Mater(Hood)
Mater(hood) features recent works by Grand Rapids based artist Emily Mayo. The exhibition showcases narrative figurative charcoal drawings which intertwine the artist’s contemporary maternal narratives with historical imagery, drawing from Victorian hidden mother photographs, the Madonna and Child tradition, and many other references from art history.
Space for a String
This body of work examines the phrase, “space for a string holds the potential of both focused connection and letting go.” There is a delicate balance here, a tension between reaching out and remaining centered, a concept mirrored in the simplest of human anchors: the belly button. Historically viewed as an object of contemplation or “navel gazing,” the navel serves as a literal and symbolic center of gravity, a unique biome, and a physical reminder of our bond with our mothers.