Nancy Scanlan

Nancy Scanlan is a native Texan, born in Houston.  After earning a BA in Art History from Smith College, she taught art at St Stephen’s School in Austin, studied for a year in Paris and worked as Assistant Director of Kiko Gallery in Houston.  Following the birth of her 2 children, she began to focus seriously on photography which had been a hobby of long standing.

In the 70s she did children’s portraits, worked with Nancy Renfro (puppeteer) on 2 books for MOMA as well as with Libby Doggett on a photo project about motherhood for the Texas State government.  In the 80s she began doing author portraits and honing her own photographic style. She also worked with Rico Ainslie on a book, No Dancin’ in Anson and with the Women’s Health Collective on Ourselves and Our Children. Following a 2 woman show at the Beaumont Art Museum, she began selling her work professionally.

In the 90s she won first prize in a competition sponsored by Eastman Kodak as well as first prize in the Texas Photographic Society’s Members’ contest. During this decade she also became a community activist, serving on the  first Board of  Save Our Springs as well as the Boards of KMFA (classical radio) and St Stephen’s School. Since 2000 she has had several shows of her work, most recently at the Davis Gallery in Austin.  She is represented in many private collections as well as in the Harry Ransom Center at UT, the Dell Children’s Hospital, Seton Hospital and the investment firm of Dain Rauscher. She continues her community and environmental work but always with a camera at the ready.