UA Little Rock to Host Exhibition of Linda Blaine Flake Scholarship Winner Ashi Franke
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host a solo exhibit for Ashi Franke, the 2023-24 recipient of the Linda Blaine Flake Endowed Scholarship, from May 20 to June 9.
Leslye Shellam, the daughter of Linda Blaine Flake and L. Dickson Flake, created the scholarship in 2021 to honor her mother, who was an artist. The scholarship recipient also has the opportunity to feature their work in a solo exhibit at the Windgate Center of Art and Design.
“Though recognized as ‘gifted’ from an early age, Linda knew that knowledge and experimentation to new, unfamiliar ideas kept her work fresh and inspired,” Shellam said. “The endowment in her name is intended to allow an art student more time for curiosity and self-exploration to channel their talent into a lifelong contribution to the rest of us who may need to be reminded of the ‘undefined’ that encourages personal creativity of all forms in each of us.”
The exhibition, “Ashi Franke: Linda Blaine Flake Endowment Art Scholarship Exhibition,” will be on display in the Ann Maners and Alex Pappas Gallery in the Windgate Center of Art and Design. A reception will be held for the exhibition from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, June 6, in the Windgate Center.
The exhibition is a retrospective of Franke’s journey as an artist over the past decade. It covers work from when she started as a student at UA Little Rock in 2014 to her graduation this spring, when she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design, three minors in art history, digital graphics, and studio arts, as well as a technical certificate in graphic design.
“The exhibition covers 10 years of my time as a student at UA Little Rock,” Franke said. “I will have many individual pieces that include graphic design, photography, ceramics, painting, and illustration. The pieces will be organized chronologically so visitors can go on a journey of my art over time.”
For many years, Franke never thought she would pursue art other than graphic design, but her time at UA Little Rock inspired her to grow as an artist.
“I’ve grown a lot in the past 10 years, and it will be very exciting to show my artistic journey as an interdisciplinary artist,” Franke said. “I’ve allowed myself to grow in places that I didn’t expect, and this exhibition is my way to share that with the campus. I had my entire life mapped out, and it was all framed around me being a graphic designer. I didn’t turn out to be the person I thought I would be, but I’m much happier with the person I turned out to be.”
All UA Little Rock galleries are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and 2-5 p.m. on Sundays. The galleries are closed on university holidays.
For more information, contact Nathan Larson, assistant art gallery director and curator, at 501-916-5104 or nglarson@ualr.edu.
