creative research gallery and drawing center
a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization

 


DRAWING CENTER STUDIO





MINI-LYCEUM

A Culture for Kids Teaching Kids* Online

Led by Alexandra Franz, age 16

Every week on Wednesdays, 4-6pm** through September 9th 2020**

*Ideal age range is 8 to 14, but any serious interested pre-teen, teen, or beginning adult can join in.

**Participants can observe and interact for as long as they wish during each roughly two-hour session. Sessions are planned to continue into the summer. Any off-days will be posted here and communicated in advance.

After the September 9th session this program will go on haitus as the school year gets underway. We will continue offering our Private Atelier lessons throughout the year. Parents of kids interested in private lessons should contact us here to inquire. Alexandra will be taking a limited number of students, and we will work on a case-by-case basis to match other teachers with students as well.

 

"The human hand allows the mind to reveal itself.”

“If the idea of the universe is presented to the child in the right way, it will do more for him than just arouse his interest, for it will create in him admiration and wonder, a feeling loftier than any interest and more satisfying.”

— Maria Montessori

 


**Sessions are on haitus. They'll return in early to mid-2021**

All proceeds from these live sessions support Manifest Drawing Center's nonprofit operation of this and other current and future programs. Many Center programs are currently on hold due to the COVID-19 crisis and our facilities are closed. Alexandra has offered to run this program weekly, from home, in order to help develop new online options for kids, and to keep our public engaged and informed about the Center's mission.

Sessions will be hosted on Zoom, with a session I.D. and link being emailed to new registered and paid participants prior to their first session. PLEASE REMEMBER THESE SESSIONS ARE NOT HELD AT THE MANIFEST DRAWING CENTER.

Manifest staff or the teaching artist may mute the video or audio of participants as needed to maintain decorum and focus. Parents should be prepared to help their children with any technical glitches on their end of the connection, which are inevitable from time to time.

 


Alexandra at work





"Self Portrait", 2019



An Invitation... LIVE from Cincinnati!

Alexandra Franz is a 16 year old 10th grader at Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, who has been teaching private lessons for kids in painting and drawing at the Manifest Drawing Center for three years. Previously she attended Mercy Montessori from first through sixth grade. She is the daughter of Manifest's co-founders Brigid O'Kane and Jason Franz. Alexandra was born three weeks after the organization first opened its gallery on Woodburn Avenue, so she has seen every exhibition presented at the gallery (over 300 and counting!), and considers herself to be Manifest's 'sister'. She has studied at the Manifest Drawing Center studios since she was very young, having taken many professional level workshops with notable artists visiting from around the world, spent much time studying with our regional team of professional teaching artists, and regularly attended weekly life drawing sessions for a number of years.

As Alexandra's career has expanded her artwork has gained significant recognition. In her four years of participating in the Scholastic Art Awards she has garnered 59 regional awards, including 19 gold key awards, 17 silver key awards, and an American Visions Nominee recognition. Most recently she was notified that her painting had won a National Gold Medal, the award ceremony for which was to be held at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2020 but was cancelled and made virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. National Gold Key awards are presented to less than 1% of the young artists submitting from all across the United States. Her work has also been recognized with awards in the Ohio Governor's Youth Arts Exhibition and the Ohio State Fair, including being selected as one of the recipients of the 2020 Governor's Youth Arts Exhibition Award of Excellence, one of only 25 from across the state.

Mini-Lyceum is an invitation for kids (and others) to schedule some time each week to tune in, chat with Alexandra, learn some key art terminology, and most importantly have the rare chance to observe Alexandra's working process as it happens. These sessions are a trimmed down version of Alexandra's private lessons, making them more accessible to many people, and allowing for a larger audience. They are an ideal primer for people considering in-depth private instruction at the Drawing Center, or a perfect supplement to those already studying with Alexandra or another teacher at Manifest.

For her sessions Alexandra will spend roughly two hours working on a drawing or painting, or a series of works, and will discuss her thinking process, answer questions, and share specific art vocabulary that, if remembered and applied in art class when school resumes, will make any teacher smile.

Our hope is that kids will choose to tune in weekly and will develop a rapport with Alexandra, gaining knowledge and inspiration while spending time with a friendly peer.

 

 

Fee:

$10 per session.
$40 for five consecutive sessions.

(Fee must be received before session link will be sent. For reference, this session fee averages roughly $5 per hour. Prices for Alexandra's in-person customized private lessons are $25/hr. Adult instructed private lessons at Manifest are $50/hr.)



            
Session Size

No limit!




Materials

Suggested Optional Materials for those who wish to experiment:

- Sketchbook, 8.5 x 11"
- Graphite pencils, ball point pens, markers, colored pencils, you name it.
- Eraser
- Pencil sharpener

Alexandra will discuss her choices of materials and answer questions during each session. Participants are welcome to explore further.

 



LOCATION:

In the location of your choosing, preferably safe at home. You'll need a phone, tablet, or computer with Internet connection capable of using Zoom. :)

 

 

 

Map to Manifest's M1 Studios   |   Studio Calendar   |   Darkroom Calendar


"School of Athens" by Raphael

 


 


"Portrait of Bella G.", 2019

 

 


"Blessings", 2018

 




"Cleopatra", 2019

 

 

Paintings & Drawing by Alexandra Franz



 

SELECTED SESSION WORKS IN PROGRESS

 


Photographs are provided for the audience. Alexandra is drawing the object from life as seen here.

 

 


Photograph is provided for the audience. Alexandra is drawing the object from life.

 




The upside-down self-critique.

 




Process views.

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 Josephine S. Russell
Charitable Trust

Manifest is supported by sustainability funding from the Ohio Arts Council, and through the generous direct contributions of individual supporters and private foundations who care deeply about Manifest's mission for the visual arts.


gallery hours:

tues-fri 12-7pm, sat noon-5pm
closed on sun-mon

view calendar



Contribute to our Annual Fund

    


   


gallery map
2727 woodburn avenue
cincinnati, ohio 45206


drawing center map (m1)
3464 Central Parkway
cincinnati, ohio 45223


   

 


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