Francesca Borgatta’s mother taught her papier mache’. Francesca made masks and puppets, and she liked to tell stories with them. These days she uses wire mesh, linen, and acrylics in her construction, and incorporates natural and recycled materials. Her focus is always on character. She makes puppets, dioramas with small figures, and wall-hangings combining image and text. As a member of the the Bread and Puppet Theater she learned to make large puppets for plays and public events.
As Artist-in-Residence at St. Vincent de Paul in Oakland in 2008, she taught the staff to make art from recycled materials. Her exhibit “Puppets from the Waste Stream” was accompanied by a text that identified the characters. She participates in group shows, and themed exhibits that explore a narrative content. At Bridge Art Space, she presented a show, “Travellers on a Pathway”, with a video that combined the images from the exhibit with a spoken text. Her video, “Configurations”, was a walk-through presentation of a show at the Reclaimed Room. In 2019, Francesca made a video based on the “Spectre’s Bride”, by Antonin Dvorak with her puppets and sets. She is looking for ways to collaborate with other artists, and for ways to share her art in galleries and on-line. She is excited with the opportunities presented by a membership at SFWA. Artist website: LINK
