ARTIST BIO Francesca Roccaforte is a digital landscape and portrait photographer-artist currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Francesca was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. where she learned photography from her father Frank at an early age. She formally studied photography at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in Manhattan for four years. Influenced by both the industrial urban landscape, its people, and the serene scenes of family visits to the ocean and parks, she used the camera to focus on the beauty of the natural landscape. Ms. Roccaforte has both an Master's degree and Bachelor's degree in visual communication in Education from California State University, East Bay. She also has an Associate degree in Multimedia Arts/Digital Imaging from Berkeley City College, Berkeley, California.
Francesca has taught both digital and film photography and has produced documentary and educational videos. Ms. Roccaforte publishes her photos, writing and poetry in cultural, academic, feminist journals and anthologies.
She is currently planning on publishing her own book in progress "Urban Love".
Francesca's current body of work consists of California landscape and seascape photography. She has exhibited her work in over fifty museums, galleries, community organizations, spiritual centers and educational institutions in California, New York, Massachusetts, Italy, Germany and West Africa over the last four decades. Francesca has received several awards in photography, writing, poetry, television production, and video production. She has won and received scholarships and grants to pursue publishing and exhibiting of her photography and writing.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
- 2023-National Arts and Disability Center (NADC) at the University of California, Semel Institute, Tarjan Center, Los Angeles, Achievement Awards for 15 artists for their contributions to the arts. This is given to artists whose work provides heightened visibility to the accomplishments of artists with disabilities. These artists are from the visual, literary, performing, and media arts demonstrating excellence in their field.
- 2020- One of 13 Winning artists in the SF Bay Area: "What Mental Wellness Looks Like" 13th annual art contest.
Alameda County Health through Art Photo "URBAN LOVE" of Lesbian Couple in Jack London Square - 2020- Grant from the California Arts Council and the National Arts and Disability Center (NADC) at the University of California, Tarjan Center, Los Angeles. UCLA,
- 2016- Dog Portraiture-First Place, Petco Photo Contest "Callie & Teddy Tug of War"
- 2004-Best Mini Documentary, "Jo's story, Stayn Alive", East Bay Media Center
- 2004-Certificate of Appreciation, Multimedia Arts Program, Berkeley City College (Vista College)
- 1995-Eastman Kodak- KTSF Photo Competition and Exhibition, 3rd place winner-Most Innovative-"Shinto Temple", SF Chinatown
- 1992-1993 Emerging Artists Reference Books
- 1993-pre-doctoral scholar grant (Italian American Women Portraits & Oral Herstories), California State University, East Bay
- 1993-National Library of Congress Poetry Award
- 1999-Haiku for you, Poetry Contest, Wisdom Village, California Arts & Humanities
- SELECTED ONE WOMAN EXHIBITIONS
- 2022 Holiday Boutique, Emmanuel Lutheran Church Courtyard, Alameda, CA
- 2020 & 2019 Nevada Desert & California Landscapes-Makers Paradise, Berkeley, CA
- 2017 & 2015 Alameda Free Library, Alameda, CA
- 2014 Ed Robert Campus, Berkeley, CA
- 2007 Marin Center, San Rafael, CA - Bioneers Annual Conference
- 2005 Sacred Places and Sacred Faces, Nomad Café, Oakland, CA
- 2004 Sacred Places and Sacred Faces Belladonna Center for Spirituality, Berkeley, CA
- 2000 Afro American Children Oakland Public Library, Temescal Branch, CA
- 2000 Festa Italia, Oakland, CA - Italian American Women’s Portraits
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
- 2016 Tea Roots Gallery SF, CA
- 2013 Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, CA “BY THE SEA", July. 2013
- 2011 Studio One, Oakland, CA- "Portraits and Self Portraits", December-January
- 2011 Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, CA "Circles", Oct-Dec.
- 2011 Urban Island Furnishings, Satellite gallery for Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, CA "Dogs on Camera"
- 2011 Studio One, Oakland, CA- One Life Institute Presents-"Transformative Visions", Spring
- 2011 Pittsburg City Hall, CA- PAEC Annual Group Art Exhibition, Spring
- 2010 Studio One, Oakland, CA- One Life Institute Presents-Transformative Visions
- 2010 Seed Corn Gallery, Greenlining Institute, Berkeley, CA
- 2010 Pittsburg City Hall, CA- PAEC Annual Group Art Exhibition
- 2009 Studio One, Oakland, CA- One Life Institute Presents-Transformative Visions
- 2009 San Leandro Art & History Museum-Images of Northern California
- 2009 Seed Corn Gallery-Greenlining Institute, Berkeley, CA
- 2008 Sea Ranch, CA- Berkeley City College- Digital Arts Club Images
- 2008 Au Coquelet Cafe, Berkeley, CA - Berkeley City College-Digital Arts Club
- 2008 Pittsburg City Hall, CA- Annual Group Art Exhibition
- 2008 Pro Arts Open Studios, Berkeley City College, CA
- 2008 Seed Corn Gallery-Greenlining Institute, Berkeley, CA
- 2007 Peace Imaginings Art of Living Center, Berkeley, CA -
- 2007 Linen Life Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA - One Life Institute Presents- Transformative Visions
- 2006 Women’s Cancer Resources Center, Oakland, CA- Flaming Art
- 2005 June Steingart Gallery, Laney College, Oakland, CA - Print 2
- 2005 Alameda Museum, Alameda, CA - Print 2
- 2004 Belladonna Center for Spirituality, Berkeley, CA - Independent Digital Arts Festival
- 2002 California Institute of Integral Studies, S.F., CA - Dark Mother Images
- 2001 World Institute on Disability, Oakland, CA - Disability Awareness
- 2000 Yerba Buena for the Arts, S.F., CA - Disability Awareness
- 2000 Disability Awareness Jack London Square Windows, Oakland, CA -
- 2000 Mocha Children’s Museum, Oakland, CA - Self-Portraiture
PORTFOLIOS
Italian American-Italian Women (Master Thesis: CSUEB,1994 "The changing Perspectives of Italian Women as family members")
Oral histories & photos & poems published:
- Voices of Italian America, "VIA, "
- Hey Paesan", Writings of Lesbians and Gay men of Italian descent (more detail on Francesca's other website: www.thatsitalian.weebly.com)
- "Curaggia" Writings of Italian Women
- She is Everywhere
- Sinister Wisdom
- Milvia Street Journal
- University of California, Los Angeles, June Mazur Archives
- Joseph Calandra Italian American Collection, N.Y. (Queens College)
- Brooklyn College, N.Y.
- Stanford University, Photos of Dacia Mariani, Italian writer
- Lesbian Archives, Oakland, CA
- National Holistic Institute, Emeryville, CA
- Life Chiropractic College West, Hayward, CA
- Landmark Preservation, N.Y.
- CityArts Workshop, Public Art-Mural Movement, N.Y
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Performance Artist-Greg Powell
- East Bay Church of Religious Science, Rev. Elouise Oliver, The Choir, Oakland, CA
- Oakland Spiritual Center for Living
- One life Institute, Transformative Visions, Oakland
- Peralta Colleges Television, PCTV Laney College