Joan Hain

Joan cannot conceive of life without art.  She has been involved with the arts for well over 40 years; as a teacher of Art for 36 years at Mepham High School in Bellmore N.Y., including serving as chairman of the Art Department for 12 years.  In addition, she became a liaison between the Bellmore-Merrick High School District where she taught, at Adelphi University, a local college, instructing figure drawing classes on campus.  Joan is also responsible for introducing Ceramic and Photography classes at Mepham in the early 1970s.

Every year Joan organized and managed the school’s Spring Art Show with hundreds of students displaying their work.  Always community minded, she also created local fundraising projects, some benefiting Hurricane Katrina victims.

Joan’s education includes a BFA from Pratt Institute in New York City, a Masters in Art from C. W. Post University and further study at Montclair State University, specializing in Raku Pottery. The honor of being one of twenty candidates in the country selected as a fellow for the Summer 6 Program for Ceramics at Skidmore College went to Joan in 1992.

Since moving to Wanaque, Joan has started teaching weekly art classes in her community and continues to volunteer in a local elementary school. She is currently in love with lampworking; making handmade glass for sculptural and ornamental mixed media pieces. A one person Art show in Pompton Lakes in 2007 was well received, in addition her participation in multiple local Art shows. One of her pieces was also selected for an upcoming show at The Emily Harvey Gallery in NYC in September 2009.