Anna Francis is an artist and researcher whose work aims to create space to discuss and reframe city resources, through participatory art interventions, which can lead to the development of community infrastructure.
She creates situations for herself, the public and other artists to explore places differently. In recent years the interventions which Anna has worked on focus on the city of Stoke-on-Trent and use an action research process to recognise untapped resources and co-create solutions with communities. This has included transforming an abandoned garden into a pocket park and retrofitting a derelict pub to become a creative community hub.
Anna is Professor of Art and Society at University of Staffordshire and a Director at The Portland Inn Project, a community based arts organisation in and Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation in Stoke-on-Trent.
Watch Anna's Tedx Talk A 100 year plan for our community
Professional memberships and activities
- Director of The Portland Inn Project Board
- Board member at Wild Rumpus
- Member of Stoke City Council's Future 100 Communities Mission Board
- Creative Climate Leadership Alumni
- Engage Extend Leadership Alumni
Academic qualifications
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- PGCE (PCE) Art, Oxford Brookes University
- MA Fine Art, Staffordshire University
- BA hons Fine Art, Staffordshire University
Expertise
- Social Art
- Community development
- Cultural development
- Neighbourhood retrofit
- Arts and regeneration
- Professional artist development
- Carbon literacy
Research interests
- The role of the artist in city and community development
- Interim use for disused spaces and resources in urban contexts
- Rethinking the Brownfield
- Neighbourhood renewal
- Nature recovery
- Creative placemaking
Grants
Anna Francis has secured funding for practice based research projects from the following funders over the past 20 years:
- Arts Council England
- National Lottery Reaching Communities Fund
- Historic England High Street Action Zones
- UK Government Levelling Up
Teaching
Undergraduate:
- Exhibiting and curating Fine Art
- Professional Practice for artists
Postgraduate:
- Leadership in the arts
- Place based practices
- Social arts
- Participatory practices
- Creative placemaking
Publications
Please see my staff Profile on The Staffordshire online Repository for publications, projects and research - Anna Francis Publications