Michele Oka Doner

Born in Miami Beach, Florida, in 1945, multimedia artist Michele Oka Doner studied at the University of Michigan’s School of Art & Design, earning her Bachelor of Science in Design in 1965 and a Master of Fine Arts in 1966. Oka Doner’s art is inspired by her lifelong study of and respect for the natural world, and her body of work includes sculpture, furniture, public art, jewelry, functional objects, and video art. Her portfolio includes more than 35 public art installations across the United States and Europe, including A Walk on the Beach at the Miami International Airport (1995–2010), an installation that features thousands of bronze sculptures inlaid over a concourse of gray terrazzo and mother-of-pearl, which, at over a mile long, is one of the largest public artworks in the world. Her expansive client list includes Nymphenburg, Christofle, and Steuben.

Her work is part of several permanent collections, including those of the Whitney Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Chicago Art Institute, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs , the Cooper-Hewitt, Yale Art Gallery, and Princeton Art Museum. Oka Doner has studio locations in both New York and Miami Beach.