TONIGHT from 6-9pm, join ACRE as we celebrate the opening of a solo exhibition of work by Fred Schmidt-Arenales, featuring his film “Committee of Six.”
“Committee of Six” is an enactment of archival meeting minutes held at the University of
Chicago. The meetings took place in 1955 between community leaders and University officials for the purpose of creating an “Urban Renewal Program" for the neighborhood of Hyde Park, situated in the south side of Chicago. Schmidt-Arenales’ film documents the process of a group of performers, academics, residents, and activists interpreting the archival documents, inviting comparison between the language of the past and the contemporary reality of gentrification and racist real estate practices in Chicago.
“Committee of Six” will be screened at the top of each hour during ACRE Projects’ open hours for the duration of the exhibition. The film includes English language captions and audio descriptions.
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Fred Schmidt-Arenales: “Committee of Six” will be on display at ACRE Projects from September 26 to October 26. Join us at the opening reception tonight or visit during gallery open hours on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12-4pm and by appointment.
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Fred Schmidt-Arenales IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT opens October, 3rd 6-8PM @the_power_station annex. Details soon 🛰️ #fredschmidtarenales #picniccuratorialprojects
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In Maia Chao and Fred Schmidt-Arenales' two-channel "Waste Scenes," the artists transform a functioning recycling facility into a stage where bureaucratic structures unravel into absurdity. The work was filmed while the artists were at residency at @rair_philly (Recycled Artist in Residency) in Philadelphia.
Scripts sourced from corporate training manuals and discarded documents are reanimated through performance. Waste is not only material but also linguistic, procedural, and structural. Absurdity is not a disruption but the only remaining language of a system in decline. In this space, refuse becomes an opportunity for playful reinvention—a rehearsal for alternative futures made from the remnants of the present.
Now on view as part of “Remains to be seen,” the summer group emerging artist exhibition, guest curated by Pallavi Surana (@pallavisuranaa ).
Maia Chao and Fred Schmidt-Arenales, Waste Scenes, 2024, 2-channel video installation (40:39 minutes.)
Installation image, "Remains to be seen," 2025. Curated by Pallavi Surana. Images courtesy of Smack Mellon. Photos by Etienne Frossard @etienne_fro
Have you checked out the review of IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT by Lachlan Taylor in @glasstire ?
Taylor offers a thoughtful look at Fred Schmidt-Arenales’ three-channel video installation, exploring its take on infrastructure, power, and the plans for the Texas Coastal Barrier Project or “Ike Dike.” 🌊
🔗 Hit the link in BCWK’s bio to read the full review on Glasstire.
#Surgeforward #coastalbarrier #protectourwaters #Glasstire #visualarts
This Friday! 🚮 ‘Waste Scenes: Maia Chao & Fred Schmidt-Arenales’, curated by Laurel V. McLaughlin is opening in the Mills Gallery! Join us for the opening reception on Jan. 17 from 6–9pm, featuring a two-channel video, wall drawings, a print series, a movie poster designed with Kristian Henson, and a sound-based performance event with Erik DeLuca and Mobius Artists Group members Jimena Bermejo and Sara June.
Opening on the same night in the Project Room is ‘absorption’ by BCA Studio Resident, chelsea silbereis, and next door from 5–8pm, the Artist Studios Building will be hosting an Open House! Learn more via links in bio.
🗑️ ‘Waste Scenes’ and ‘absorption’ are on view from Jan. 18 – Mar. 29
*The exhibition is organized by Laurel V. McLaughlin in dialogue with the artists at the Boston Center for the Arts. The film Waste Scenes (2024) was funded by the Recycled Artist in Residency (RAIR), the Velocity Fund, Illuminate the Arts, the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation, and a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant.
#BCA #BosArts
💥 New Exhibition Alert 💥 We’re kicking off the new year with ‘Waste Scenes: Maia Chao & Fred Schmidt-Arenales’, curated by Laurel V. McLaughlin! Join us for the opening reception on Jan. 17 from 6–9pm, featuring wall drawings, a print series, a movie poster designed with Kristian Henson, and a sound-based performance event with Erik DeLuca and Mobius Artists Group members Jimena Bermejo and Sara June.
Also opening on the same night in the Project Room is ‘absorption’ by BCA Studio Resident, Chelsea Silbereis @chelseasilbereis and next door from 5–8pm, the Artist Studios Building will be hosting an Open House. Learn more via links in bio.
🗑️ ‘Waste Scenes’ and ‘absorption’ will be on view from Jan. 18 – Mar. 29. We can’t wait to see you there in 2025!
*The exhibition is organized by Laurel V. McLaughlin in dialogue with the artists at the Boston Center for the Arts. The film Waste Scenes (2024) was funded by the Recycled Artist in Residency (RAIR), the Velocity Fund, Illuminate the Arts, the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation, and a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant.
#BCA #BosArts
The Visual Arts Center on UT campus is opening their exhibits for the Fall 2024 season - join in for the FREE opening reception on Fri, Sep 20 from 5-8p with an artist-led tour starting at 4p.
The Visual Arts Center is always free and open to the public every Tues - Sat from 12-5p.
Fall exhibits:
1. Fall 2024 artist-in-residence Violette Bule presents “Una Luz: Photography Under Confinement in Venezuela,” which explores how images spark conversations on creative agency and autonomy through photos, video, and archival materials.
2. Fred Schmidt–Arenales’s video installation, “IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT,” focuses on bureaucratic processes underpinning the development of storm surge infrastructure on the Texas Gulf Coast.
3. Retracing the Rubicon,” the VAC’s fall Center Space Project show, presents work by current UT students, faculty, and alumni and asks, “How can communities move on with grief and trauma together rather than moving away from it in isolation?”
‘IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT, an exhibit by Bayou City Waterkeeper’s Artist-in-Residence Fred Schmidt-Arenales, opens tomorrow, August 24, at 2521 Ships Mechanic Row, Galveston, TX 77550 at 6pm.
You can catch Fred Schmidt-Arenales’ work in two key locations: in Austin, just presented a stone’s throw from the Texas State Capitol, where state and local politicians are debating the Ike Dike’s feasibility and future & in Galveston, where the project is proposed.
See the exhibit in Galveston from August 24 - November 2, and in Austin from September 20 - December 7. For more details, visit the Galveston Artist Residency website linked in our bio.
#SurgeForward #StopthelkeDike
#JustClimateTransitions #ArtistinResidence #ClimateJustice #ProtectCoastalCommunities
This is the last chance to see IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT by Fred Schmidt-Arenales! The show is only open for another week so come by on Wednesday through Saturday between 12-6pm. The artist will be at Storefront on the closing day, Saturday June 1 at 4pm to give walkthroughs. Don’t miss it!
For more info about the exhibition, see link in bio.
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Images:
1. Still from IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT, 2024 by Fred Schmidt-Arenales
2. Still from IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT, 2024 by Fred Schmidt-Arenales
3. Still from IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT, 2024 by Fred Schmidt-Arenales
4. Swamplands: Fred Schmidt-Arenales Newsprint (poster side). Design by Estudio Herrera
5. Swamplands: Fred Schmidt-Arenales Newsprint (newsprint side). Design by Estudio Herrera
@tfredsa #itisagoodproject
The ghost town of Indianola was once one of the most important Texas ports along the Gulf of Mexico. Located between Corpus Christi and Galveston, the city aspired to be a major Southeast Texas port metropolis. Indianola was at the peak of its prosperity with a population of over 5000 people when it was struck by a hurricane on September 16, 1875. The town was at sea level and highly vulnerable to tropical storms. Much of Indianola was rebuilt but after getting hit again by a second devastating hurricane on August 19, 1886, it was never able to recover. Under 100 people currently live in Indianola. The destruction of Indianola inspired the town of Galveston to construct the Galveston seawall after they too experienced a hurricane in 1900.
IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT by Fred Schmidt-Arenales closes next week on June 1! Plan your visit to Storefront, Wednesday to Saturday, 12-6pm.
For more info about the exhibition, see link in bio!
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Images:
1. Still from IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT, 2024 by Fred Schmidt-Arenales
2. Still from IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT, 2024 by Fred Schmidt-Arenales
3. Still from IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT, 2024 by Fred Schmidt-Arenales
4. Karte von Indian Point od. Indianola. Courtesy of The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries Special Collections
5. Indianola Texas, Lithograph by Helmuth Holtz, 1860
6. Surface weather analysis of Hurricane Three on 17 September, 1875. Courtesy of The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
7. Path of the 1886 Indianola hurricane. Courtesy of United States Weather Bureau
8. Debris from the 1875 hurricane that hit Indianola, Texas. Courtesy of Calhoun County Museum
@tfredsa #itisagoodproject
Next Tuesday, May 21 at 6:30pm, artist Fred Schmidt-Arenales is joined by public secret society New Red Order for a conversation on their respective practices, moderated by Associate Curator Jessica Kwok. The discussion will unpack how the artists both approach structures of bureaucracy, “theories of change” and decision-making processes within their practices, and what these strategies reveal about the inherent assumptions and philosophies carried by governments.
Join us by registering at the link in bio!
@tfredsa@jacksonpolys@selledesong@zackkhalil
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Image: Still from IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT by Fred Schmidt-Arenales, 2024
