Nancy O'Neil

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I received my B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College where I focused on studio art. After graduation I moved to rural Maine with my husband, James O’Neil. We raised our family and I maintained a glass studio there for close to thirty years. I now live and work in New Orleans, Louisiana.

I always knew I wanted to be an artist. I gravitated towards glass because it is such a beautiful material and works with light. Over the years I’ve developed a variety of ways to introduce pattern, text and imagery and my pieces evolved into what is essentially research-based collage made out of glass.

I’ve been doing public art for over 25 years, with commissions throughout the United States. I’ve done pieces for public schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, government buildings, libraries, religious institutions, airports and other kinds of transit facilities, and more. I produce work in my own studio and with fabricators.

I still do residential work and independent pieces. I bring the same approach to pretty much everything I do, so that the work is always complex and intriguing, hopefully beautiful, and holds peoples' interest over time.