Artwork by SUNY Distinguished Professor Timothy Frerichs is included in a new exhibition that commemorates the historic Erie Canal.
Mr. Frerichs’ “Ice Melt Lake Erie” will join works by other regional artists in the “Water, Grain, Steel: Industry and the Erie Canal” exhibition at the State University at Buffalo’s Anderson Gallery. He was invited by Dr. Anna Wager, curator of exhibitions at UB Art Galleries.
“Ice Melt Lake Erie” consists of archival ink jet photographs on handmade recycled hemp/jute and cotton paper, pigmented linen pulp and blowouts.
The exhibition, which coincides with the bicentennial of the canal’s completion, explores the canal’s enduring impact on Buffalo, NY, and surrounding region, reflects on the canal not only as an engine of commerce and industry, but also as a site of labor, land displacement, environmental consequence and cultural memory.
Its works examine the canal’s role in shaping Buffalo’s steel and grain industries; the environmental health of Lake Erie and adjoining waterways; the perspective of laborers across different occupations; and the impact on indigenous land and water rights.
Work Progress Administration-era prints, photographs and early 20th century landscapes will provide a contrast with contemporary works to reframe the canal’s legacy with the present time.
Frerichs will attend the opening reception on Friday, Sept. 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibition will continue through Feb. 28, 2026. The Anderson Gallery, open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., is located at 1 Martha Jackson Place.
