About

Anna Francis is an artist and researcher whose work aims to create space to discuss and reframe city resources, through participatory art interventions.

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, plan responses to disused sites in the city, take action to change the way these sites are viewed, and potentially, make changes, which can be temporary and sometimes permanent. Through this, Anna aims to gain an understanding of the role of artists, arts organisations and communities in the development of places.

Anna is Associate Professor of Fine Art and Social Practice at Staffordshire University, and a Director at AirSpace Gallery, and The Portland Inn Project. Born in Canterbury, Kent, she first moved to Stoke-on-Trent in 1997, and now lives here permanently with her partner and two children.