Buckham Gallery is pleased to announce three concurrent exhibitions exploring art of the human figure, with Alexandra Franz, Jason Franz, and The Human Form, an Exhibition of Sculptures.

May 8 - June 13, 2026
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Alexandra Franz - In Situ

“In representational painting and drawing, everything arises from a primordial act: seeing. This action, so mundane and prosaic, is the paradoxical existence of two opposite mindsets. When gazing at something, we either experience it as a nonobjective knowledge, or we identify it as a mental image—something constructed in the mind. This fascination with phenomenology, metaphysics, and cognitive processing has become the philosophical and conceptual foundation for my paintings.”

Alexandra Franz is a recent graduate from the University of Cincinnati, where she majored in Art History, minored in Fine Arts, and received a certificate in Museum Studies

Jason Franz - Life Drawings

“Most of my life drawings were made in 90 minutes in one sitting with a live model. From a distance, they may appear dim and difficult to see, but upon close inspection, one can see a frenetic energy of note-taking, analyzing, measuring, defining, and refining. The process of searching for and noting geometric proportions, reference angles, mass conceptions, and internal anatomical structure—as well as the vibrancy of living energy in the human body—is captured and conveyed through the many different layers and modes of working visible in each drawing.”

Jason Franz is a Cincinnati-based artist, educator, and curator. He attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati when it was still a museum-school, earning his BFA in 1988, and later received his MFA from the University of Cincinnati in 1998. Franz is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including an Ohio Arts Council Fellowship, a Xavier University Faculty Development Grant, two Darwin T. Turner Teaching Awards from the University of Cincinnati, and four Summerfair Individual Artist Grants.

The Human Form, an Exhibition of Sculptures 
A National Juried Exhibition

For all of recorded human history, we have created images in our likeness, images that act as vessels for our expression of existence and life and humanity. Through our bodies, we interact and experience the world; no wonder the history of art teems with our interpretations of this fragile and wonderful vehicle. As sculptor Leonard Baskin stated: "The human figure is the image of all (people) and of one (person.) It contains all and can express all." Buckham Gallery presents a national juried exhibition of three dimensional works that depict, reference, or are otherwise inspired by our human form.

Selected Artists: Jacob Ashba, Carol Cameron, Sarah Divita, Clayton Furr, Laura Gabriel, Nickie Gunning, Heather Kaplan, Ania Ksiezyc, Asia Mathis, Reanna Navarro, Iris Eve Schaer, Kayla Jean Smith, Jeanette Strezinski


May Exhibitions with Alexandra Franz, Jason Franz, and The Human Form open on May 8 and run through June 13, 20206. Join us for Flint’s ARTWALK and reception with the artists on May 8, from 6 to 9 PM. This community favorite event is FREE and open to the public!

The Eighth Annual Smallidge Lecture will be held on Saturday, May 9 at 2 PM with guest panelist Alexandra Franz and Donovan Entrekin.

About the Smallidge Fund for the Arts
The Smallidge Family Fund was established in 2015 to honor the memory of Bernice & Dave Smallidge and their passion for the arts and the arts community in the Flint area. This perpetual restricted fund is maintained by the continual donations of family members and friends. The endowment funds The Annual Smallidge Family Lecture, a yearly arts-related talk hosted by Buckham Gallery.