Art at the Alhambra

Jeanne M. Francis, MFA, is a Stillwater-based multimedia artist whose work interlaces autobiographical storytelling, history, and spatial experience. She weaves traditional mediums—painting, photography, and sculpture—with technology, incorporating sound, video, and immersive installations to create layered visual and auditory narratives. Drawing on a lifetime of resilience as a single mother, educator, world traveler, and former licensed counselor, Francis explores themes of identity, strength, loss, and transformation. Her upcoming group show, The Oracle Is a Woman, calls attention to women’s voices as vital forces in shaping culture, community, and the future. 

Cynthia Norton is a twin-cities based artist showcasing a collection of narrative work. Drawing on her extensive practice in performance art and storytelling, Norton transforms reclaimed household objects – such as bedframes and fireplace mantels – into both literal and symbolic frameworks. These intimate domestic forms become portals into Norton’s visual storytelling, offering glimpses into her life as an itinerant artist, musician, and performer. As a multidisciplinary artist, Norton has long centered her practice around Ninnie, a persona that has grown from a fictional character into an expansive artistic narrative. Her work draws on the cultural textures of the American South, blending them with layers of art history, feminist thought, spiritual symbolism, and folklore.

Jordan Sappa is an emerging artist and current art education student, at the University of Wisconsin River-Falls, dedicated to exploring personal expression through a variety of mediums. Their work reflects a growing practice rooted in experimentation, curiosity, and a desire to develop a unique visual voice. With a unique perspective, Jordan creates evocative illustrations that confront the complexities of mortality, loss, and human vulnerability.

Nicole Neri is a freelance photographer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She focuses on social justice issues, immigration, and the role of community art. Clients include The Washington Post, Bloomberg, MPR News, Reuters, Politico, The Wall Street Journal, the Star Tribune, and the Minnesota Reformer. Nicole is available for assignment in the Midwest and anywhere else.

Drey is a photographer whose lens captures the bold pulse of the city. Their work is saturated with vivid color, transforming urban landscapes and vacant spaces into striking visual narratives. Often focusing on walls touched by graffiti artists and scenes that are untravelled in daily life, Drey reveals beauty in the grit, rhythm, and unexpected details of our cities, as if being transported into a different world.