H. Schenck: Mud Is Mud
June 4 – June 25, Saturdays 12-4 or by appointment
Opening reception Saturday, September 17, 6-9
Closing reception Saturday, October 8, 6-9
September 17 – October 8, Saturdays 12-4 or by appointment
The MAC
1601 South Ervay Street
214.953.1212
Entrance at 1600 Gano St. and street parking on Gano St.
Mud Is Mud is an artistic collaboration between the artist and LGBTQ youth from Youth First Resource Center Dallas. The opening reception will be a safe open environment for LGBTQ youth who have participated in this project. Proceeds from the
Mud Campaign artwork and merchandise sales will go to Youth First Resource Center Dallas.
The MAC is pleased to present the final exhibition in the New Urban Landscape series, Mud Campaign by Dallas-based artist H Schenck, in partnership with Youth First Resource Center Dallas.
Mud Is Mud is an artistic collaboration between the artist and LGBTQ youth from Youth First Resource Center Dallas. He worked with individuals at Youth First to create artworks and prompt discussion about human inclusivity. The opening reception will be a safe open environment for LGBTQ youth who have participated in this project.
The Mud Campaign is a social and artistic project that bridges Dallas’ LGBTQ youth and Dallas’ art communities using a web presence and exhibition that will take place throughout the months of August and September. Beginning with a social media takeover in August and culminating in an exhibition, Mud Is Mud, at The MAC in September, the Mud Campaign addresses issues surrounding LGBTQ youth: homelessness, abandonment, alienation, and reclaiming identity and self.
The Mud Campaign is already underway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and at www.mudismud.com. Via social media, participants can share their interpretation of what it means to be human by posting photos, videos, or writings using #mudismud and #mudcampaign. Approximately 260,000-520,000 LGBTQ youth are homeless in America. The Mud Campaign is a project which aims to bring attention to this shocking statistic, promote inclusivity, and raise funds for Youth First Resource Center Dallas.
The opening reception for Mud Is Mud will be held at The MAC Saturday, September 17, 6-9 and will be a safe open environment for LGBTQ youth who have participated in this project. Mud Is Mud will be on view at The MAC Saturdays 12-4 or by appointment, September 17 through October 8.
Mud Is Mud is an artistic collaboration between the artist and LGBTQ youth from Youth First Resource Center Dallas. He worked with individuals at Youth First to create artworks and prompt discussion about human inclusivity. Schenck uses mud both physically as a material and conceptually as a vehicle to acknowledge social labels and redefine them.
Mud, put simply, is the foundation of our existence. It is universal, apolitical, communal, essential, accessible, and ubiquitous. Our planet is made up of it. We use it. We move it. We buy it. We sell it. We share it. We play with it. We fight over it. We have religious narratives about it. All humans have some kind of connection/interaction with this substance and we are drawn to it. Because of the nature of the material, its ability to function in diverse ways, and our relationship with it, mud can act as an accessible metaphor for a diverse population. Hence, the first two points from the Mud Philosophy: (1) mud is a general term for a mixture of four substances: water, soil, silt, and clay. The ratio of these substances determines its characteristics and function. Humans create labels for these different ratios; (2) human is a general term for a mixture of genetic material. The amounts of specific genes determine color, size, shape, and growth. Humans create labels for humans with specific genes.
H Schenck is an artist working in the DFW area. His work consists of site-specific installations that reflect different points of his Mud Philosophy and his “mud” travels throughout the United States. He has collected soil samples, images, objects, and writings throughout the Midwest and North West regions. Schenck has revolved his personal practice and work around the idea that he is mud, what he makes is mud, the people around him are mud, and people, as mud, are all connected. By utilizing mud as a base unit, Schenck talks about individual navigation and experience that can speak to a larger audience beyond his own specific social categories.
His work has been exhibited in Dallas at 500X Gallery, BEEFHAUS, and Ro2 Art, as well as, Gimp Room in Houston, Bradley University in Peoria, IL, and the 2nd Berlin Bercher Triennial in Berlin, Germany.
Youth First Resource Center Dallas is one of the only LGBTQ-focused youth programs in North Texas that addresses the challenges these youth face with family members, peers and fellow students. Serving middle and high school aged youth, 12-18, Youth First equips them with the skills they need to lead an open life through educational, recreational, and behavioral health services.
Proceeds from the Mud Campaign artwork and merchandise sales will go to Youth First Resource Center Dallas.
Join the Mud Campaign
www.mudismud.com
facebook.com/mudismud
facebook.com/themacdallas
#mudismud
#mudcampaign
Special thanks to
Mud Campaign contributors:
Hayley Fowler
Neal Paustian
Heather Sutherland
Syd Web/Acre Press
Youth First Resource Center Dallas
LGBTQ+ Youth