 Remember doing those art projects where you cut pictures out of newspapers and magazines and then put them into a collage? Well, a new exhibit recently opened in Brainard showcasing that collage style. Martin Nelson unveiled his smiling with eyes closed exhibition at the Franklin Arts Center on Friday. It's a mixed media collage exhibit that displays the artist's opinion on several different political issues. Nelson spent weeks searching through National Geographic magazines and old books to find the images. In all, there are 20 different collages at the showcase. Over the last year, I've kind of been in the hiatus for creating artwork. Many different issues that have been holding me back. The current political issues were one of them. It's just kind of my voice coming out and showing that through my artwork and my collages. Smiling with eyes closed runs until June 23rd. It's free to the public, and all artwork is up for sale. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.