Jason Franz

Adjunct Assistant Professor

School of Design

MFA University of Cincinnati 1998
BFA Art Academy of Cincinnati 1988

Autumn Quarter 2009 Courses

23FDST121 Foundation Studio -- Design Drawing
23GRPH231 Drawn Design I

Topics of research and/or creative and professional work

Studio work in painting, drawing, digital photography, and mixed-media/assemblage; creative approaches to merging conceptual issues with skill-based artmaking; the role of art and design in society; the study of drawing as a means for developing new vision; drawing from observation; drawing as an essential cross-disciplinary skill; 'quality' as a concept in art and design.

Recent Work

Manifest International Drawing Annual 2005, 2006, 2007, (2008 forthcoming)
Drawing magazine, summer issue 2007
The Artist's Magazine, October 2007

During the first ten years of his career as an exhibiting artist Franz also worked as an exhibition designer and preparator at the Cincinnati Art Museum. He began his teaching career in 1997. From 1997 through 2002 he taught and developed new courses for both the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and the University of Cincinnati in the fields of both art and design. In 2002 Franz received a full-time appointment to head the painting and drawing programs at Xavier University in Cincinnati. He spent two years rebuilding these programs at Xavier, solidifying his teaching philosophy, and laying the ground-work for Manifest, a non-profit arts organization he co-founded in 2004. While at Xavier, he also served as the faculty advisor for the founding of the Society of Visual Arts (a student government organization), assisted with the planning for a new departmental photography program, and championed the integration of technology into all the classroom studios. From 2004 - 2006 Xavier provided him two years of paid academic leave from teaching while working on the establishment of Manifest, a non-profit arts organization he co-founded in 2004. In 2006 he left Xavier in order to focus his primary energy towards Manifest and to return to teaching drawing at the University of Cincinnati. He now serves as the Foundation Design Drawing Content Coordinator for the School of Design and continues to serve as Executive Director at Manifest which has quickly become an internationally recognized arts organization, gallery, and drawing studio.

As an artist and professor he is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including an Ohio Arts Council Fellowship, a Xavier University Faculty Development Grant, and three Summerfair Individual Artist Grants. In 2009 he was presented a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

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