Malachi Schmidt finds mosaic-like beauty in nature

The artist’s solo exhibit, “Line Of Vision,” will be up at Arts for ALL Wisconsin through June 2.

Malachi Schmidt sees the world with dazzling clarity. His solo exhibition Line Of Vision, on display through June 2 at  Arts for ALL (AFA) Wisconsin’s north-side gallery at 1709 Aberg Ave., collects artworks made with ink, alcohol markers, and Sharpies. The precision with which Schmidt portrays animals and tiny insects articulates the tactile way he sees the world. He draws it in its ravishing lucidity, pointing out details that not many notice. This body of work thrives in its mosaic-like use of color, its intricate linework, and its sheer creativity.

In 2021, Schmidt, who is based in Fond du Lac, submitted his work to Creative Power—an annual awards program and exhibition  AFA holds for artists with disabilities across Wisconsin. From over 200 submissions, jurors select 10 works of visual art for a collection that travels to Milwaukee, Eau Claire, and Port Edwards, among other locations around the state. “We were impressed by his talent and creativity. His work is really good and we want others to see it,” says Peter Bovenmyer, Art Director for AFA. Schmidt won a Creative Power Award that year and was invited back to do a solo exhibition.

“The art world is one of the most exclusionary cultural institutes that we have,” Bovenmyer says. “But people with disabilities are one of the most exciting artists in art history, like Frida Kahlo, Vincent Van Gogh, and Leonardo da Vinci.” 

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AFA is the only statewide organization that works with artists with disabilities. It creates space for people at various stages of their careers to learn various types of art and have a platform to showcase it. The organization offers all kinds of educational opportunities for beginners who have never made art before and are learning new techniques. AFA puts on exhibitions for artists who are working on their craft and want to sell or exhibit their work, and collaborates with different studios and exhibiting spaces to support and promote artists with disabilities. Bovenmyer hopes that artists like Schmidt aren’t treated as mad geniuses but are instead given the same opportunity as others.

Schmidt grew up surrounded by art—his mother and grandmother were both visual artists. “When Malachi was little, he was nonverbal until he was five,” his mom, Nina Trepanier-Schmidt, says. “Due to that barrier, he would get frustrated with communicating.” Nina would put paint, crayons, and markers in front of Malachi as a way for mother and son to bond. Not only did this calm him down, it also gave him the freedom to express himself the way he wanted to. When he went to school, every kid did the same thing during art class and it was disappointing for him. Schmidt didn’t want to sacrifice his vision for the sake of fitting in.

“There is a level of creativity and intuition in his work that is really exceptional and stands out,” Nina says about his creative process. When Schmidt was 16, he started doing quick pet portraits at a farmers market for $5 per drawing. Because he was a speedy drawer, he’d create sketches of dogs that went by. “Once he figured out his voice through his art, it grew leaps and bounds,” Nina says. Now, at 21, Schmidt does not put limits on where his art can go. Even though he didn’t have a formal art education, his work stands out fully on its own terms. Schmidt has also found that art is a great doorway for him to form relationships with those around him. He loves connecting with other people and getting feedback about his art through his Instagram.

“Partridge,” one of the standout pieces in Line Of Vision, demonstrates how intentionally Schmidt approaches linework and color. He offers viewers an interesting collection of abstract shapes and scribbles that can be experienced from different vantage points. The closer you get, the more you see the microcosm of swirls, energetic forms, and exciting lines. The farther away you get, the more you see how these abstract elements form into the cohesive figure of a bird. 

A swirling mass of energy pushes his work forward and draws people in. Even his abstract work, like “The A Button,” which features a hypnotic collage of juxtaposed As, rings with this vitality. It is refreshing and intuitive, in part because Schmidt doesn’t do any shading. All of the tiny shapes that make up the partridge, and the other animals and critters that make up most of the subject matter of the show, are distinct and separate. Like stained glass, they are fragmented and filled with bright colors. “The way he works is very concrete,” Nina says. “It’s very unusual for him to erase his pencil marks.” Schmidt’s confidence in his vision, and the immediacy of his execution, make all those small pieces fit together.

In May, Schmidt is starting a week-long residency in Sheboygan at the Kohler Arts Center as AFA’s first Artist-In-Residence. He will have an open studio space where the public can come in and interact and meet him. “We hope that this program can be an opportunity for him to be in a new space and find some creativity and inspiration,” Bovenmyer says. In the past few years, there has been a groundswell of support for artists, curators, and gallerists with disabilities. They have a significant and powerful movement and they are creating a new art space that is revolutionizing art markets. They are being recognized by an art world that has been historically ableist and acknowledged in new ways by progressive studios. Bovenmyer hopes that AFA can usher this movement into the Wisconsin art scene.

Schmidt is not timid and that sets him apart. His range is immense. He has also realized that he can make personal and political statements with his art. He wants to do a series on animals that are extinct or endangered. He wants to create work that expresses support for Ukraine amid that country’s ongoing fight to repel an invasion from Russia, and feels strongly about equality and access in the art community. This exciting sense of possibilities is already coming through in the work Schmidt shows us in Line Of Vision. Schmidt’s lines cut through the noise and provide us with ornate beauty. We can’t help but stare.Malachi Schmidt will give a live demonstration of his work during a reception for “Line Of Vision” on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at 2 p.m. at AFA. If you are interested in supporting AFA, please go to their website.