Classes and Workshops

Francesca develops art programs in schools and community centers. She teaches art-making with recycled materials using a range of subjects for construction. She plans art events for her students to deal with relevant social issues. She offers single classes, workshops that last several days, or residencies which may last several months. The emphasis for these projects is on active involvement in the art process.

Special Projects for Under-served Facilities

At the Bay Area Rescue Mission, a residential rehabilitation center, Francesca has been working since 2017 with the Fountain Project to develop a curriculum for art and social awareness. She teaches art classes for the women’s division, including water-color and figure drawing. She also gives classes in Qi Gong, a Chinese movement meditation form...
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Site-specific Workshops

Site-specific Workshops

For collective art events such as the annual for Art-in-Nature Festival, the artist selects a natural location to build a small scene with her puppets. For the presentation, “Puppets make a Plea for Survival,” she used a set of four puppets that combined animal and human characteristics. For “Green Gnome and the Butterflies,” participants...
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Large Puppet Construction

Large Puppet Construction

The artist holds workshops in Large Puppet Construction to build characters to demonstrate for social justice, such as women’s rights and immigrant status. For the Chinese Cultural Association, the artist teaches community members to construct the animals of the Chinese zodiac for the New Year’s parade. Participates dance with the dragon using musical instruments...
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How to Make a Puppet

How to Make a Puppet

To begin a puppet, Francesca ties and glues a few elements together, to examine the interplay of qualities-shape, color, and texture, in their forms. If this initial construct appears as segment of a face or figure, she starts painting on layers of white glue to strengthen the structure and unify the surface. She incorporates...
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Puppet-making Class

Puppet-making Class

As art teacher, Francesca provides the materials and sets the theme, and teaches participants to find their own materials. She provides iconic images and texts, and demonstrates techniques so people will want to create their own art. She is looking for new people to work with her, new materials for her art, and new...
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