Fran had a 28-year state government career, which began as a graphic artist in the Department of Public Information. As former director of the Kentucky Arts Council’s (KAC) Craft Marketing Program she has extensive experience in program development and implementation, marketing and promotion, shows/events/exhibits, employee management and more. For 25 years she spearheaded numerous initiatives including the award-winning Kentucky Crafted: The Market, national marketing campaigns and the Product Development Initiative establishing the Craft Marketing Program as a national model. While in state government Fran served on numerous state government committees and consulted nationally on artisan based programs focused on cultural tourism and economic development.
Fran is currently working as an independent artisan business and programming consultant. She operates Redmon2 Marketing + Design with her husband, Garry, providing small business marketing support through the creation of promotional materials, web design and social media marketing. She draws from her 35 years of experience to provide technical assistance and support to artisan entrepreneurs in their marketing strategies and business development. She has first-hand knowledge of issues that artisans face in setting up their business, developing and tailoring products to the market and promoting those products through fairs and festivals and directly to the retailer. She has recently presented training for the Small Business Development Center artist boot camps and Morehead State University’s arts entrepreneurship and arts administration students. She has conducted several consultancies with artist as a KPAN consultant and through her business.
She is currently working as an artist in pastel paintings and photography. She has been selling her work for two and half years, is a juried artist at the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea and has participated in several juried exhibitions.
She is a founding member and currently serves as the president and marketing chair for the Kentucky Craft History and Education Association and on the board of the Appalachian Artisan Center, as the current program chair and former vice chair. She served on the Artisan Center at Berea program committee and as a member of the Kentucky School of Craft National Advisory Council. She was as a founding and long-time board member and conference host for the national Craft Organization Development Association, receiving the 2007 CODA Leadership Award for Outstanding Service.
She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Western Kentucky University with a BFA in commercial art and a major studio in weaving.