BIO

bb. Greenwich, CT 1955.  

Lives and works in Providence, RI and West Palm Beach, FL 

Jane O’Hara is a contemporary American artist, curator and founder of Jane O’Hara Projects (JOP) 2015. O’Hara received a BFA in painting at Boston University, Boston, MA, and a Curatorial Certification from Sotheby's Institute of Arts. Using transformational curatorial projects, presentations and publications as a platform, JOP seeks to expand social awareness of speciesism through the arts, and to cultivate compassion for all life; both human and non-human animals.

In O’Hara’s paintings we look from the animal’s perspective with narratives concerning the deeply problematic human-animal bond. In her current series; A Humane Dilemma: When Animals Speak, O’Hara continues a surreal view of animals coping with an oblivious world, with a focus on exploited animals in captivity, the environmentally at risk, and conversely, the casting of human traits on our pampered animal companions who exist in their own unnatural surroundings.

In 2023 O’Hara completed and exhibited the 51 painting State of the Union series at the New Bedford Art Museum, New Bedford, MA.  The series examines the topic of animal rights across the United States. Gathering inspiration from disparate sources, from nostalgic postcard iconography and pop reference, to depicting the animal condition both behind the scenes and in plain sight, O’Hara has us look at our 50 states from both entertaining and serious perspectives.

O’Hara is an honoree of the Courage of Conscience Award from the Peace Abbey.  honoring individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves through humanitarian causes, peace and social justice activism. She is a recipient of Rare Air Artist-in-Residency, Adams State University, Alamosa, CO, a Curatorial Grant, Curatorial Opportunity Program, Newton Art Center, Newton, MA and a Culture and Animals Foundation Grant for the production of the book Beasts of Burden, Our Complex Relationship with Animals - a Jane O’Hara Projects Publication, 2017.  In 2023, JOP published Jane O’Hara - State of the Union  cataloging the State of the Union exhibition, New Bedford Art Museum, MA.

O’Hara’s work has been presented and exhibited throughout the US including New Bedford Art Museum, New Bedford, MA, Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, MA; Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA; Brown University, Providence RI; Flinn Gallery, Greenwich, CT; TAG Gallery, Los Angeles, CA and NY’s  Pace University, among others. 

Jane O’Hara’s work is currently represented by The William Scott Gallery in Provincetown, MA