Developed during a Fulbright fellowship based in and around Lisbon, Ovar, and Arrábida Natural Park, Siegel’s research examines the botanical motifs of azulejos, the painted ceramic tiles that have shaped Portuguese architectural surfaces since the 16th century. Focusing on the botanical iconography of these painted ceramic tiles, the project examines how stylized vegetal forms both reflect and abstract local flora, while carrying histories shaped by trade, religion, and cycles of destruction and renewal. Shaped by principles of ornamentation and geometry, these tiles serve as vessels of cultural transmission and identity formation, foregrounding the relationship between living plant ecologies and built environments.

Fran Siegel's exhibition Arrábida coincides with the May 8, 2026, opening of her commissioned permanent public installation at the Wilshire/La Brea Metro Station in Los Angeles. In a continued exploration of the iconographies and architectures of urban identity, the tiled work is part of the D Line Subway Extension Project, a site-specific initiative spanning seven new Metro stations.

Fran Siegel has developed and exhibited work throughout Europe and South America. As a Fulbright fellow in Brazil, she conducted research for Lineage Through Landscape, which was included in Getty's city-wide initiative PST- Los Angeles/Latin America, with her 2017 solo exhibition at the UCLA Fowler Museum. In 2024, her project In Flux was included in the Getty's PST- Art and Science Collide. In 2025, she was awarded a second Fulbright to Portugal. Residency fellowships inform her location-based practice and include: The Bogliasco Foundation and Siena Art Institute in Italy; La Napôule and Camargo/Bau Foundation in France; CCA Andrax, Spain; and Instituto Sacatar, Bahia, Brazil. Siegel represented the United States in the IX International Biennial of Cuenca, Ecuador, and Art in Embassies commissioned a permanent work for the U.S. consulate in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Siegel received grants from the California Community Foundation, Los Angeles Individual Artist C.O.L.A., Center for Cultural Innovation, and the OC Contemporary Collectors Grant. She earned her M.F.A. from Yale University School of Art, and B.F.A. from Tyler School of Art. Siegel's works are in public collections at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA; Art, Design & Architecture Museum, Santa Barbara, CA; Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT, and The Morgan Library Museum, New York, NY.