Recent Work

Recent self-portraits

 

From the top an upside down gold evening bag has red inside the handle shape and a pair of closed eyes with false eyelashes to create a face. Underneath a large oval of pale pink feathers from a boa creates a glittery feel for what might be a head. The head is braced by a pearl and silver necklace and the whole composition rests on an angled group of silver and white elements. On far left is a tiny fan shaped gold and diamond trumpet.

Not Quite Myself I, collage, 13 x 9.5 inches, 2023

The most dominant feature is a circular ruby brooch on the far left and half way down the composition. Coming out from this large deep red jewel surrounded by large round diamonds is a wrist and hand with flat outstretched thumb, on which sits a profile of a small white swan. Coming out from the big jewel and angled to the right is a Diamond bracelet with big, geometric diamonds overlaid with a small gold and ruby red necklace creating a face that visually also connects with the hand and thumb. Three more Diamond and ruby jewels cascade down from the big jewel and overlay an aerial photo of fall trees with a large more than semi- circle shape cut out so that the arm seems to hover over the void and almost creates a bridge over it.

Not Quite Myself II, collage, 13 x 9.5 inches, 2023

White background with a head and shoulders made of jewels and shiny objects. The top of the head is from a rounded silver lame bag with a spiky fringe, left eye is a ruby brooch surrounded by diamonds and right eye is a larger watch with a green circular band. The face below the eyes is a pink perfume bottle and the handle of the bag outlines the jaw. A side view of a dark blue metallic peacock stands in front so that its head aligns with where a mouth would be.

Not Quite Myself III, collage, 13 x 9.5 inches, 2023

A portrait with a hand instead of a head with two red dice falling in front of a body wearing tan dungarees. The hands are feet wearing white socks and gold ankle strapped heels. Above the hand is an upside down group of bottles. On the left is is a semi circle with wrapped candies.

Not Quite Myself IV, collage, 13 x 9.5 inches, 2023

A head and shoulders made up of images cut from a glossy magazine. The sweep of hair at the top is a bird on its side. Face is a pale oblong with pearls widely spaced in a grid and an upturned teal butterfly forms the mouth. The prominent neck is a close up of a pale finger nail and a ring with a whopper Diamond surrounded by a ring of faceted emeralds forms the top of an outfit that is made of diamanté mesh.

Not Quite Myself V, collage, 13 x 9.5 inches, 2023

 

About

Fran is an independent curator and interdisciplinary artist with a focus on accessibility. She teaches classes on curatorship and exhibit development for the Museum Studies graduate program at San Francisco State University.

Current work in collage plays with whimsical ideas of self-representation after recovery from a serious car accident in 2022. She began to make work that could portray herself as a shiny, precious object, with the luxury of time and ample access to glossy magazines full of images of jewelry and luxury goods.

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Fran has presented at SFMoMA, the Inclusive Museum Conference, University of Houston, California Association of Museums, The Commonwealth Club and University of California Los Angeles. She leads trainings on creating accessible museum and gallery spaces, and art workshops for low-income seniors and those with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Residencies at the Santa Fe Art Institute and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts explored social justice issues and the art/industrial complex.

In 2021 Fran was the guest curator for The Art of Disability Culture for the Palo Alto Art Center and Ruth’s Table. Read more about the exhibition.  She curated Changemakers: Bay Area Disability Pride for the San Mateo County Library system in 2019 and the San Francisco Public Library in 2020. In 2015 her Commons Curatorial Residency created “DIS/PLAY: a disability take-over” at SOMArts in San Francisco. She also worked with the Longmore Institute on Disability to curate Patient No More in Berkeley and San Francisco, featuring 40 oral histories about a historic disability civil rights sit-in and victory in 1977.

Download pdf of Fran’s CV

Education

MA, Museum Studies, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA.

BA, Typography and Graphic Communication, Reading University, UK.

Residencies

2018 Santa Fe Art Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Equal Justice Residency.

2017 Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, Equity Fellow.

2015 SOMARTs, Commons Curatorial Residency, San Francisco.

Curatorial projects

2024 The Second Glance: The Art of Catherine Lecce-Chong, Santa Rosa

2022 The Art of Disability Culture, Ruth’s Table, San Francisco

2022 Clearly Polluted, Global Museum, San Francisco State University

2021 The Art of Disability Culture, Palo Alto Art Center

2020 Changemakers, San Mateo Libraries and San Francisco Public Library

2018 Inside the Disability Community, Marin Center for Independent Living

2016 Cripping the Quilt, San Francisco Art Institute

2015 DIS/PLAY: a take-over by artists with/without disabilities, SOMArts, San Francisco

2015 Patient No More: People With disabilities Securing Civil Rights, Ed Roberts Campus, Berkeley http://longmoreinstitute.sfsu.edu/patient-no-more   

2014 Beauty Given By Grace, First Pres., Berkeley, CA

2011 The Eloquent Eye, Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar

Group Exhibitions

2019 Closing, San Pablo City Gallery

2018 The Museum of Alternative Facts and SFAI 140, Santa Fe Art Institute

2017 YBCA Equity Showcase, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

2017 Vital Signs, San Pablo City Gallery, with Marilyn Hill and Larry Hatfield

2016 Fresh Works, Harrington Gallery, Pleasanton, juried by Rick Ambrose

2015 DIS/PLAY, SOMArts, San Francisco

2014 50:50, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, juried by Lonnie Lee

2013 Transport: Where we go from here, Pro Arts Gallery, Oakland

2013 Group Show, Collector, retail gallery, College Avenue, Berkeley, CA

2012 Wonder, Berkeley Art Center, Members’ Show, Berkeley, CA

2012 Lotte Arts, Affordable Art Fair, San Francisco

2012 SFMoMA Staff Art Show, San Francisco, CA

2012 Shine, Berkeley Art Center, Members’ Show, Berkeley, CA

2011 Urban Landscapes, San Leandro City Art Gallery, San Leandro, CA

2011 Immigrant Neighborhoods, San Pablo City Gallery, San Pablo, CA

2010 Not Safe for Work, SFMoMA Staff Offices, San Francisco, CA

Events and Programming 

2018 ‘Creating Dynamic Exhibitions’ Cultural Connections, Gizmo, SF

2017 ‘Build It In, Don’t Bolt It On’, Cultural Connections, SFSU

Conference presentations and creative partnerships

2024 5th Annual Creating Community Symposium, panel presentation, SFMoMA

2023 The Art of Disability Culture, The Inclusive Museum Conference, Vancouver, Canada

2022 Patient No More, podcast, Center for Public History, University of Houston, Texas

2022 Access as a Creative Practice, panelist California Association of Museums

Moderator for The Art of Disability Culture, The Commonwealth Club, SF

2018 DIS:CO: Co-creating with the Disability Community, The Inclusive Museum Conference, Granada, Spain

2017 Art and Disability, Disability as Spectacle, UCLA conference

Press Coverage

C Magazine, Exhibit: The Art of Disability Culture, Nov 2, 2021. Reya Hadaya, Eunchae Hong, and Evie Coulson

Berkeley Times, ‘Must See: Patient No More’ by Todd Kerr, August 13, 2015.

SF Chronicle, ‘SOMArts show DIS/PLAY, combats tired notions of disability’ N. Nataraj, March 25, 2015.

Daily Californian, ‘DIS/PLAY exhibition brings accessibility to art world, sheds light on ableism’ by Sarah Elizabeth Adler, April 16, 2015.

Publications

Osborne, F., Luby, E.M. and Fogarty C., 2014. ‘An Accessibility Adventure: Teaching and Learning Exhibition Design Through the Lens of Disability Studies’, Exhibitionist Journal.

 

Teaching

2020 to date Museum Studies Graduate Program, San Francisco State University, teaching classes on exhibition development and curatorship

2011-14  Visions Adult Day Program, Pinole, CA  Art tutor to adults with cognitive and physical disabilities.

2006-7 Chelsea College of Art, London, UK (2006–7) Visiting tutor, advising students of the BA and Post-graduate certificate programs.

 

 

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