Alexandra Collins
Painting
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Specialisms: Painting
Location: Detroit, United States
Alexandra Collins
First Name: Alexandra
Last Name: Collins
Specialisms: Painting
Sectors:
My Location: Detroit, United States
University / College: Cranbrook Academy of Art
Course / Program Title: Painting
About
Alexandra Collins (b. 2001) is a painter based in Metro-Detroit who constructs dense perceptual spaces through oil painting. She earned her BFA from the University of Michigan in 2024 and received her MFA in Painting at Cranbrook Academy of Art in May, 2026. In 2023 she was awarded a residency at Anderson Ranch Art Center by the Stamps School of Art and Design to continue to develop her complex oil painting technique, and in May of 2024 she was awarded the Integrative Project Award for painting thesis at the University of Michigan. Collins was mentioned in World of FAD magazine during May 2025, and is featured in New American Paintings MFA Annual Issue #183, and in their upcoming Nova 2 Publication. She is a Homiens Art Prize Winter 2026 Highly Commended Artist, and has exhibited in spaces and institutions across Michigan, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago such as; The Untitled Space (Tribeca, New York City) Viridian Artists, (New York City), Hard Return Art (Chicago, Illinois) Current State Gallery, (Los Angeles, California) Muskegon Art Museum (Muskegon, Michigan), VillageOneArt Gallery (New York City) Focus Art Fair (New York City) Frank Lloyd Wright Smith Home (Bloomfield Hills, Mi), Anton Art Center (Macomb, Michigan) Detroit Artists Market (Detroit, Michigan), College For Creative Studies (Detroit, Michigan) Eastern Michigan (Ypsilanti, Michigan) The Carr Center (Detroit, MI) Art Prize (Grand Rapids, Michigan) and The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan). In 2026 she was selected as a Featured Artist at Detroit Artist Market, where she was given a corresponding solo exhibition and included in a group exhibition at BasBlue in collaboration with Wasserman Projects.
I approach painting as a space of synthesis, where organic and inorganic forms coalesce into complex systems of information. Effervescent fields are charged with lush fruiting and floral biomorphic shapes that lace through and expand across the canvas, encompassing themes of abundance, resilience, exuberance, joy, destiny, hope, and multiplicity. In an era where we are inundated with images and information, I seek to open a portal to the heart, to create a space for contemplation, presence, and reprieve. .