Franklin Ugochukwu's Journey Through Art and Teaching

Franklin Ugochukwu has left his mark on Fargo-Moorhead's art scene. Before that, however, Franklin was an international studio art student at MSUM.

Franklin came to MSUM from Nigeria in 2014 for the affordability of a higher education at MSUM. He graduated from MSUM in 2020 with a major in studio art with a focus on painting. Franklin solidified his art business in 2020, then moved to teaching art classes at the Plains Art Museum and doing his own personal art.

Franklin's motivation for continuing art is the feeling of comfort and relaxation he gets from painting. "Painting really helped me develop discipline and accountability, which has helped me in other aspects of my life," he says.

In his classroom, Franklin prefers to keep a laid-back environment. "My classes are more casual with music playing, like the art classes here at MSUM. It's more like friends hanging out and just painting," he says.

Franklin's teaching style is special because he tries to humanize himself to his students. He places himself on the same level and treats the class like a normal conversation. He tries to keep it so there is no power dynamic and students can just focus on learning.

"I want my students to know that my classroom is a safe space where they can relax and have fun," he says.

Franklin enjoys getting first-timers in his class who are potentially nervous about how things will go, and then seeing them grow their skills and confidence. He says, "Art is like driving a car. The first time you did it you were probably really scared, but now you don't even think about it."

Portraits specifically are Franklin's favorite pieces to work on.

At first, painting portraits intimidated him. It can be difficult to capture somebody. After many hours of practice, Franklin's skill has improved immensely. He now confidently paints portraits of his favorite artists and loved ones.

"I love painting portraits because the face can say a thousand things that words can't," he says.

Franklin also enjoys giving back to the community. One of his proudest projects was working alongside Lauren Sterling, also an MSUM alum, on a mural initiative at a local homeless shelter, which aimed to inspire positivity and involvement from the community.

Just about a year ago Franklin worked alongside community members and other MSUM artists to create murals for the Churches United homeless shelter in Moorhead, MN.

"We wanted to brighten up the space. It was fun, positive art that inspired them. It was exhausting, but it was one of those things that were so worth it," he says.

Along with this collaborative art project with MSUM students, Franklin stays connected to the campus. He plans to return to MSUM for Homecoming 2024 and teach a painting class for students as one of the events during the week.

Alongside teaching and creating art, Franklin also has a YouTube channel, FrankFreezy, where he enjoys recording and editing himself as he reviews films. His background in painting helped him create videos, and he found it fulfilling to try out new editing styles.

Franklin picked up this hobby after doing his mural project because he was experiencing something everybody goes through: burnout.

Franklin's solution to resolving burnout has been going to his friend's art exhibitions, getting inspired, and using his creative outlet in other spaces. This has helped him get back into the painting groove.

After starting up his own business by himself, running it, and succeeding, Franklin's own breakthrough in art came from realizing it's okay to have bad days, a lesson he passes on to his students.

His final advice for future painters, aspiring entrepreneurs, and students can be simplified to three words: "Just do it."