Buckham Fine Arts Project 2021 Annual Report

2021
After the COVID-19 challenges of 2020, Buckham Fine Arts Project entered 2021 with guarded optimism. With strong artistic programming and a museum-quality exhibition space, our new leadership turned its attention to growing supplemental programming and outreach. While maintaining the COVID-safe practices necessary, Buckham resumed community favorite events such as Second Friday Art Walk, Open Mic, and Cider & Slides. Closing Receptions, the new event celebrating exhibiting artists, offered a smaller scale and safe receptions. New programming was cultivated to focus on building stronger ties within our community and with other area non-profit organizations.
Buckham proposed eleven visual art exhibitions featuring work by local, regional, and national artists who make significant statements in their chosen discipline. This exhibition cycle included several gallery shows that were rescheduled exhibitions due to the pandemic.

Exhibitions

January commenced with the final two weeks of United By One, renowned Detroit artist Charles McGee’s  last exhibition before his passing. Mid-January through mid-February exhibitions featured solo presentations by local Flint artists and Buckham Collaborators whose 2020 exhibitions were postponed due to COVID-19: Karen Milito, Nancy Pennell, Paul Rozycki, and Linda Lou Woodruff. Nancy Pennell participated in an In Conversation recording sharing her unique monotype process.

Installation View of works by Buckham Collaborators

Buckham’s “Late Winter Exhibitions” presented three concurrent exhibitions running four weeks mid February through March 20: Chad Erpelding’s Gains and Losses utilizes data visualization and systems-based strategies to investigate global institutions. Deepanjan Mukhopadhyay’s Appropriated Figure-Grounds was a series of images probing the relationships between photographic representation and global figures of power often by investigating the Photographic apparatus itself. Jordan Vinyard’s Summary of A Few Volts looked at how we hypothesize, test, squeeze, and tether ourselves to our technologies, while counting on the flexibility and resilience of our steadfast meat machines to endure. Director Leclaire recorded three individual conversations with the artists to contextualize their work for deeper understanding and expanding our audience's access to challenging visual art.

Installation view of Disrupted Realism

In April, Buckham Gallery hosted Disrupted Realism, a national juried exhibition established to explore contemporary painting that challenges the traditional concepts of realism. “It is a subjective approach to painting that favors perception over seeing and embraces subjectivity,” John Seed, author of Disrupted Realism: Paintings for a Distracted World. Seed selected 34 artworks from 697 submissions for display in Buckham Gallery. In addition to the selected paintings, this exhibition featured five paintings by prominent Chicago artist, Anne Harris, who was also featured in Seed’s book. Buckham Gallery produced its first exhibition catalogue for Disrupted Realism, which has shipped across the continental U.S. Two videos were recorded, one announcing the prize winners and a panel discussion including juror John Seed, invitational artist Anne Harris, and the three prize winners.

Installation view of Subtle Shifts

May - June 2021 Subtle Shifts, curated by Jon P Geiger and featuring artists Brian Caponi, Lindsey Dezman, and Adam Milner, brings forth a series of works that explore artifacts of the insignificant and the mundane into a larger dialogue about time, lost, memory, decay, and vulnerability. One video was recorded, featuring Geiger, Caponi, Dezman and Milner. In Conversation panel discussion

Early Summer brought two consecutive exhibitions to Buckham Gallery: SELVAGE by Jim Arendt and At Home by Candace Compton Pappas. Jim Arendt’s Selvage (rescheduled from June 2020) explores the shifting paradigms of labor and place through materials that resonate with work and the people engaged in it. Influenced by the radical reshaping of the rural and industrial landscapes in which he was raised, he investigates how individual lives are affected by transitions in economic structures. Jim Arendt In Conversation. Michigan artist, Candace Compton Pappas, explores place, presence, and identity using a myriad of mediums and forms. At Home is an investigative journey seeking what it means to belong, feel safe, noticed, and what is this thing called home. In Conversation

In late summer, Buckham presented three concurrent exhibitions featuring Kelly Boehmer, Bill Davis, and Devan Horton. Kelly Boehmer approaches her soft sculptures with a tragic sense of humor. Beastly Luster explores the absurd beauty in anxiety. Using the teeth from upcycled taxidermy and gory visceral imagery, Boehmer symbolizes emotional vulnerability. Glittery sheer fabrics and saturated faux fur “soften the blow,” making those anxieties easier to confront. In Conversation: Kelly Boehmer. Bill Davis’ photography reflects humanity’s vision for itself. No Dark in Sight conveys how artificial light occupies the night. This exhibit demonstrates the artifice of light pollution, why and how that matters by inviting populations to adopt foresight intelligence, employ reason, and manage their communities in less artificial ways. When night looks like night, we can embrace its lifeforce. In Conversation: Bill Davis. Devan Horton explores our culture's obsession with consumption and waste by analyzing our relationship with garbage. Penchant brings to light our relationship with waste in hopes of convincing others that even through the endless social and economic issues compounding around us, our planet is always of the utmost importance, and we as a species must work together to preserve its beauty for generations to come. In Conversation: Devan Horton.

September brought two concurrent solo exhibitions. In his exhibition, Hyper-Tension,  Matthew Owen Wead uses adversity as a center point, to explore subject matter involving identity, personal narratives, critical history, memory, language and tradition. This body of work is centered on the emotional / physical toll that 2020 took on BIPOC, particularly black people, highlighting key points such as the shooting deaths, Juneteenth, church burnings, the riots, and taking down monuments. With a background in printmaking, Wead’s practice draws on the history of the art form and its techniques to create works that investigate the idea of resilience in form, subject matter, materiality. In addition to the exhibition, Buckham Gallery facilitated a workshop with Wead at University of Michigan-Flint demonstrating his bleach printmaking process. In Conversation: Matthew Owen Wead. A lover of comics, Kenish Magwood juxtaposes cartooning with deep-rooted and controversial topics in her exhibition, Nigrescence Comics. This body of work is a homage to psychologist Dr. William E. Cross Jr. and his study on the 5 stages of Black Identity Theory. The Nigrescence Comics Series depicts work that falls under each of the 5 stages of Cross’s Black Identity Theory coined by the French term, Nigrescence: Stage 1-Pre-encounter, Stage 2-Encounter, Stage 3- Immersion/Emersion, Stage 4- Internalization, Stage 5- Internalization-Commitment. Magwood’s large-scale paintings unabashedly illustrate challenging subject matter. In Conversation: Kenish Magwood.

Installation view of Entropy

Buckham Gallery presented a small group exhibition, Entropy, in October. Featuring works by Jennifer Bock-Nelson, Kelly A. Mueller and Amy Sacksteder, Entropy responds to the intricacies of space, place and the passing of time. Bock-Nelson, Mueller and Sacksteder have investigated the impact of human interaction and interventions on the environment, and are all compelled by entropy. They share their findings through painting, works on paper and installations. In Conversation: Entropy.

Installation view of Black & White

The 2021 Buckham Artist Collaborators Annual Exhibition took place in November. This year’s exhibition theme was Black & White and it featured work by local artists and Buckham Collaborators. Buckham also held its first raffle fundraiser, bringing in $1,000. Black & White exhibiting artists: Guy Adamec, Aisha Changezi, Nic Custer, Donovan Entrekin, Craig Hinshaw, Robert Huebel, Michele Leclaire, Janice McCoy, Michael Melet, Karen Milito, Ken Milito, Matthew Osmon, Nancy Pennell, Paul Rozycki, Sifus J. Thompson, and Chris Waters. ​

The 2021 calendar closed with three concurrent solo exhibitions featuring Emily Legleitner, Diane Zeeuw, and Rebecca Zeiss. A primary function of art is that of a lens through which interiors are made discernible to viewers. The emotional intricacies of the human experience can be laid bare through visual representation, often finding a higher state of relatability and sympathetic resonance between artist and audience. The three artists of this exhibit, Emily Legleitner, Diane Zeeuw, and Rebecca Zeiss, all offer expansive views of concepts and reflections of a far less direct nature, each plunging deep into their respective focuses. In Conversations: Legleitner, Zeeuw, and Zeiss.

​Media Coverage
Buckham Fine Arts Project and Gallery was featured in several media coverages in 2021. These features included exhibition and outreach programming on Flintside, Flint Beat, ABC12, and others. For links to BFAP’s media coverage, please click HERE.

2021: By The Numbers

2021 by the numbers: Flint’s Second Friday Art Walk was attended by 1,470 visitors in June through December. Open Mic featured 21 performers and 62 guests in August, September, and October. Cider & Slides received 16 guests and 5 presenters in November. Daily guest totals for 2021 were 1,133 visitors, for a grand total of 2,790 visitors in our physical gallery. This includes four Genesee Early College student tours and UM-Flint student tours. A total of 76 artists exhibited 452 works of art at Buckham Gallery in 2021. Our 17 “In Conversation” artist talks recorded this year had 26 participating artists and were collectively viewed 1,109 times via YouTube. Additionally, April’s national juried exhibition Disrupted Realism prize announcement on YouTube had 187 views. Prizes totalling $1,500 awarded to three artists.

Outreach numbers include: Three University of Michigan-Flint student internships received professional development opportunities and eight college credits. Four On Screen collaborations completed, with additional two in progress. $2,000 in honorariums were paid to six participating artists. Proceeds totalling $665 donated to our non profit partners. The Writer In Residence first cycle ran six months in length. The second cycle began in October 2021 and will run through September 2022. Their honorariums totaled $950 in 2021.

2021 Buckham Gallery Numbers

2,790  Total visitors to physical gallery           
1,470  Flint’s Second Friday Art Walk visitors
1,133  Daily Gallery visitors               
1,109  In Conversation video views           
   452  Total number of exhibited visual artworks
      76  Number of exhibiting visual artists              
      62  Open Mic visitors 
      21  Open Mic performers                             
      26  Participating In Conversation artists                        
      17  In Conversation videos                 
      16  Cider & Slides visitors                     
        5  Cider & Slides presenters                     
        3  Disrupted Realism prize winners


2021 Outreach Programming Numbers

     33  Artworks at Karmanos Proton Wing          
       4  On Screen projects completed               
       2  On Screen projects in progress              
       3  Student Internships              
       8  University of Michigan credits earned                     
       2  Writer In Residence artists         


2021 Support to Artists and Organizations

$2,000  Honorariums paid to On Screen artists            
$1,500  Prizes Awarded for Disrupted Realism          
$   950  Writer In Residence honorariums                
$   800  Exhibition Juror honorariums            
$   665  On Screen donation to nonprofit organizations       

Visitor Demographics:

Gender:
68.2% Female            
31.8% Male                
 

Age:
3.6% under 20    15.8% 40-49
18.6% 20-29        17.3% 50-59
22.1% 30-39        22.6% 60+

Race:
71.4% White              
21.9% Black                        
6.7% People Of Color   

Zip Code:          
5.1% 48506    
2.7% 48532
3.7% 48423
2.7% 48507
3.4% 48502
2.0% 48458
5.4% 48439
3.0% 48430
15.5% 48503
3.0% 48504

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Buckham Membership

Buckham Artist Collaborators are a group of practicing artists who lead and sustain the organization to further the goals of Buckham Fine Arts Project as defined by the organization's mission statement and bylaws.  Members of the collective direct the artistic programs of the gallery, serve in an advisory capacity, and assist with gallery operations.
​
BAC Collaborators 2021-2022 Roster
Guy Adamec
Aisha Changezi
Kelli Crump, Board Member
Nic Custer, Board Chair
John Dempsey
Donovan Entrekin, Board Member / Interim Board Secretary
Gary Gebhardt    
Craig Hinshaw
Robert Huebel
Michele Leclaire
Emily Legleitner
Janice McCoy, Board Vice Chair and Exhibition Committee Chair
Michael Melet
Karen Milito
Ken Milito
Sam Morello
Matthew Osmon, Board Member
Nancy Pennell
Paul Rozycki
Natasha Thomas
Sifus J. Thompson
Chris Waters, Board Member
Ed Watkins
Linda Lou Woodruff

Buckham Sustainers are those artists or professionals who clearly demonstrate a capacity and willingness to further the mission of Buckham Fine Arts Project and contribute their time and talents to assist concretely in expediting the artistic programing of BFAP, but who may not consistently produce artwork and cannot therefore commit to actively engaging as practicing artist. Buckham Sustainers serve on committees, help staff events, and have voting privileges. 

Buckham Sustainers 2020-2021 roster
Tunde Olaniran
Mike Parker, Board Finance Officer
Marissa Pierce, Board Member



Buckham Fine Arts Project Community Membership

Buckham members support and sustain Buckham’s mission to provide opportunities for our community to better understand and appreciate experimental and ambitious contemporary art. Members gain access to exclusive member-only events including special receptions and lectures, as well as discounts on BFAP produced publications.

Buckham Friends:
Eric Chapman & Family
Edwin Custer
Benjamin Gaydos
Frankie Hardy & Family
Christina Haylett
Anne Heidel
Alesia & Wendell Johnson
Heather Laube & Family
Janet Lorch
Gwyn McKay & Family
Thomas Myers
Corinne Nuzum
Ken Randall
Sam Selou
Sally Strand

Associates:
Jennifer Acree
Mara Fulmer & Family
Cliff Hughes & Family

Buckham Inner Circle:
Mark Bradley
Sally & Rick Kagerer
Charles Parker

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Funding

Buckham Gallery is funded in part through grants awarded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Michigan Council For Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the GFAC Share Art Genesee Grant Program.  The gallery solicits sponsors for major exhibitions (ie: $2,500 from S. Burton for “Disrupted Realism”), and individual donors support the gallery through their annual appeal and general donations. In past years the biggest bulk of general donations were Art Walk and Open Mic contributions. However in 2021, most of our general donations were made by walk-in gallery visitors. Non-grant funds derive from our exhibition call for entry fees, annual appeal and Board appeal donations (100% participation) and member dues.  The gallery currently earns approximately 25% of its operational budget through call-for-entry fees, art sales, fundraisers (Cool City Art Auction/new raffle fundraiser), memberships, and donations. New this year, Buckham earned income from the sale of its exhibition catalogue and received sponsorships for its Writer In Residence publication. One of Buckham’s major goals is to increase non-grant income to 30% of our operational budget over the next two years.


Annual Appeal Donors
Stanley Blood
Robert & Kathleen Downs
Donovan Entrekin
Katharine Avis Gallop
Chuck Gurden
Emily Hudson
Clifford Hughes
Lynne Hurrand
Vivian Kao
Dr. Robert Littleton Jr.
Carol Masse
Sam & Carole Morello
Bobby Mukkamala
​Charles Parker
Mike Parker
Lynn Penning
Dave & Becky Pettengill
Marissa Pierce
Ms. Lynne Smith
Marilyn Willingham
Jan Worth-Nelson

​Writer in Residence Publication Donors
Sponsors
Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich
Jennifer Acree
Dr. Aisha Harris
Michael Parker
Amber D. Harrison
Art & Teresa Reyes

Friends
Candace Compton Pappas
Fred Danzinger
Heather Laube

Funding
$30,000​   Charles Stewart Mott Foundation                           
$28,000​   GFAC Genesee County Share Art Grant Program                    
$17,812   Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs / National Endowment for the Arts      
$  6,690   Fundraising (Cool City Art Auction, Raffle Fundraiser, exhibition catalogue and t-shirt sales (Net))
$  4,496   Member Dues                                       
$  4,364   Call For Entry Fees                                    
$  3,339​   Art Sales (Net $1,266 after artist commissions and On Screen donations)            
$  2,888​   Annual Appeal Campaign                                
$  2,500   Exhibition Sponsorship (Stephen R. Burton)                        
$  1,020   WIR Publication Appeal (8 individuals and 1 Mott Foundation Matching Gifts donation)    
$  1,010   Donations  (Gallery visitors, Art Walk, Artist receptions, Open Mic, and Amazon Smile)    
$  1,000   WIR Sponsorship (Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich)                    
$     360​   Board Appeals (100% participation)                            

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Project Implementation, Success and Challenges

Programming success is measured by fulfilling our mission to present innovative contemporary art, both visual and nonvisual, of the highest standard for the enrichment of our surrounding communities. Exhibitions featured works by 76 artists in solo, small group, and large group exhibitions. Artistic caliber has steadily increased over the past several years. This is measured by the credentials of artists and collaborating jurors and curators. Buckham also implemented exit surveys to gauge the artist’s experience working with BFAP and if their needs were met. Overall response concluded that gallery staff was professional, available, and insightful. Artists were pleased to exhibit their work in a museum-quality environment, to participate in recorded YouTube conversations, and with the documentation of exhibits.

In addition to the exit surveys for exhibiting artists, we collect exit surveys from visitors at Art Walk. These community visitors were impressed with the scale and scope of our exhibitions.

Internships with UM-F students created hands-on experience. In 2021 we worked with three students who earned college credit, totalling 8 credits completed. Interns worked with gallery staff and visiting artists, as well as learning the call for entry process. Its success is measured by the professional development opportunities we have provided, responses from the interns, and college credits awarded by UM-F.

Launched in late 2020, BFAP: On Screen is a collaborative printmaking project that fosters ties between multiple communities: artists, nonprofit organizations, and collectors. Limited edition screen prints have featured Genesee County Youth Corp, Latinx Community Center, Whaley Children’s Center, and Flint River Watershed Coalition. In progress collaborations include: The Porch Project and Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village. Through On Screen, BFAP raises the awareness of the important community-based work done by these non-profits. On Screen also supports Flint artists with an honorarium of $400 for their creative work and provides support during the manual screen printing process at Factory Two. The prints are exhibited and sold by Buckham Gallery with 65% of the proceeds going back to the featured organization. In 2021 approximately $665 was donated to nonprofits from sold prints. With On Screen we are not only presenting contemporary art, but facilitating the generation of new art. We measure our success by the ability to support working artists and build new relationships with non-profit organizations and reach new communities, thus expanding enrichment in our community. 

In an effort to broaden the diversity of our organization and to deepen the wealth of ideas and viewpoints that inform our programming and decision making, BFAP has worked to consciously reach out to and include members of communities historically underrepresented at Buckham. BFAP launched its Writer In Residence project in early 2021 to engage contemporary literary artists and Flint’s Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) community. The Resident Writer produces written components responding to each exhibition, plus additional content that will respond to topical issues and personal research. This collaboration provides an opportunity for the writer to engage with their interest in visual art and gain exposure for their literary arts, and engage Flint’s BIPOC community in a meaningful way.  Each year, the resident writer’s compositions will be paired with exhibition images and published as a physical book. Our inaugural publication features Shea Phire Cobb, BFAP’s first resident writer. Cobb poetically responded to 12 visual art works during April through September 2021. This publication, to be released February 10, 2022, will also include 4 personal response compositions by Cobb. BFAP’s second WIR is Natasha Thomas. Her residency spans the 2021-2022 exhibition season and will also feature a publication of literary arts and images.

“When I speak, I speak with passion and power, as I am confident in the freedom given to each child living and breathing on this earth. I speak for the cleanliness of our homes and streets. The dreams we have for future warmth and love. Being the first Buckham writer in residence delicately led me back to the path of my purpose and I will forever be grateful….….The truth won’t hide from you but you must still seek it out. This type of project will break you down and place your voice in the most beautiful acoustic room, your own sound will shock you….”  -Shea Phire Cobb, October 2021

In 2019 BFAP installed 30 works of art by Buckham artists at Karmanos Cancer Institute Proton Wing at McLaren in Flint. Five new works were added in 2021.The artworks are hung in waiting rooms, dressing rooms and hallways for the comfort of their patients and staff. This program allows BFAP to not only reach an audience outside of the typical gallery setting, but reach individuals who may not have considered viewing art for pleasure or personal enrichment. Buckham’s Director negotiated the new contract to include an annual purchase agreement with McLaren to add one artwork into their collection each year. BFAP is expecting to add several new works in 2022.

BFAP Events include Flint’s Second Friday Art Walk, Artist Receptions, Cider & Slides, and Open Mic. Art Walk is an important community event offering extended hours for engagement with exhibitions at Buckham Gallery and other community arts organizations. Artist Receptions were conceived in 2021 as a response to COVID-19 challenges. These receptions offer the community an opportunity to meet exhibiting artists in a more intimate atmosphere. Cider & Slides event first launched in January 2020, returned in November 2021. It is an evening of slide presentations on a variety of creative practices intended to spark deeper dialogue. Presentation themes have included: art appropriation, artistic collaboration, diarist Peter Beard, looking at the overlooked, performance on becoming Caliban, intersectionality and creative practices, and Amanda Edwards with COVID and Talking Hearts project. Performing artists regularly reached out to BFAP inquiring about the return of Open Mic after the COVID-induced cancellation. In August 2021, Open Mic returned and continues to feature area artists performing live music and spoken word poetry in a gallery venue or out in the mural-laiden alley, COVID and weather depending. Flint community musicians, spoken word artists, and performing artists greatly appreciate the opportunity to perform in the unique venue Buckham Gallery can provide.

In 2021, BFAP tripled enrollment in community memberships. Leadership takes this as another measure of success. These individuals are largely Genesee County residents, but also include Oakland County, Wayne County, and Wisconsin residents.

Buckham Fine Arts Project and Gallery is proud to be part of Flint’s art community. We are committed to expanding opportunities for our community to engage with a diverse range of serious contemporary art and cultural ideas. Leadership of BFAP expects to continue exhibitions, supplemental programming, outreach, and professional development programming in 2022. We are also determined to use our expanding programs and increasing reach to attract positive attention and cultural activity to Flint. The strategic planning committee is currently developing a survey to assess the needs of our collective and community. Buckham looks forward to moving boldly into its 40th anniversary season in 2023-2024.
Support from the individuals and organizations who donate fiscally and with their energy have enabled Buckham Fine Arts Project and Gallery to grow, develop, and change. We greatly appreciate the role that our supporters have played.  
 
Thank you for your support!