JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — “Waterways Lake Chautauqua," a solo exhibition of works by Fredonia artist Timothy Frerichs, will be on display at SUNY Jamestown Community College’s Weeks Gallery from Oct. 31 to Dec. 12, with an opening reception scheduled for 5-7 p.m. on Nov. 1 that is free to attend and open to all.
Frerichs' installations use images, drawings and objects collected from Chautauqua Lake sites and related cultural and historical sources. The work addresses the decrease in ice coverage for water bodies and the impact this is having on evaporation rates, erosion, and aquatic life.
Frerichs collected ice from Lake Chautauqua at Long Point State Park in January 2023, stored it in a freezer, and collected the meltwater during a May heatwave. The meltwater was used to create a blue-green pigmented pulp that was painted on recycled hemp, cotton, and jute-based paper. Archival digital photographs documenting ice formations on Chautauqua Lake, archival lake maps, and microscopic imagery from under the ice were printed onto the pulp-painted paper.
This installation consists of multiple pages and is conceived as a loose-leaf book.
“Creating content through specific materials and their provenance is an integral part of Frerichs' artmaking process,” said Colin Shaffer, managing director JCC’s Galleries. “This is coupled with responsible practice and focus on attempting to achieve a more sustainable working methodology. This is also reflected in the work content and physicality of the work. Frerichs is especially interested in our intentional and unintentional impact on their environment.”
Frerichs’ drawings, installations, prints, and artist books have been widely exhibited internationally and nationally. He is a Visual Arts and New Media professor at SUNY Fredonia.
Weeks Gallery is located on the second floor of the Sheldon Center on JCC’s Jamestown Campus, 525 Falconer St. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays. There is no cost to enter the gallery.