05/22/2026
Bonnie Proudfoot is a New York native, born in Queens, but now resides outside of Athens, Ohio. She took up glass art in the 1970s and has established a strong artistic expertise, which she shares in workshops and classes.
Proudfoot recalls, during her senior year of high school, spending a lot of time at the Museum of Modern Art, specifically at Picasso’s “Guernica.” She describes standing in front of the mural as a “revelation,” and credits her "culturally rich” childhood as a large influence on who she is as an artist today.
One of Proudfoot’s college roommates actually introduced her to glass art. The roommate was working at a short-staffed stained-glass studio called Art Glass of Western New York. After joining the studio, Proudfoot says, from then on she was “hooked.”
“I was fascinated by stained glass, and I liked the idea of building something, you know? I mean, I just really liked the construction aspect of it,” Proudfoot said.
One project at the studio Proudfoot remembers was making lamps for the fast-food chain, Wendy’s. After projects like that, Proudfoot was allowed to take home scraps, which furthered her passion and desire to learn more. Soon after, she added an Arts Education major along with her English Education degree.
“I wanted more of an art background. I wanted more fine art to understand, so I could design and not just look at patterns and make something from that … I wanted to have an understanding of the elements of art and principles of design,” Proudfoot said.
Outside of glass art, Proudfoot writes poetry, essays, and fiction pieces. Her newest release, “Incomer,” is a collection of poems rooted in Appalachian themes that intertwine with Proudfoot’s memories and experiences of living there. Proudfoot has two other published books: “Household Gods,” a book of poems with references to Proudfoot’s upbringing in Queens, and “Goshen Road,” an award-winning novel that highlights the often-overlooked female perspective on living in rural West Virginia.
“I think there are ways that art can tell stories that otherwise wouldn't get told. Every artist speaks with their own voice, whether it's visual art, music, songwriting or poetry, and I think that those voices need to be heard for us to understand each other's experiences in life … I think art can take us way deeper into what culture is like, and I also think that art can remind us of things that we maybe didn't take seriously enough and didn't think about long and hard enough. Poetry matters. Visual arts matter. I've never changed, my entire existence, from the time I was a kid to now, I'm still awed by
Quilt National or something like that, where you see when combinations of approaches take you way deeper into a subject matter that you maybe never would have experienced otherwise. There's still room for people to say new things or to remind us of things that we value that we may have forgotten about.”
Proudfoot got her start in writing at her college newspaper, The University at Buffalo’s The Spectrum. She recalls being given tickets to see a film multiple times and rushing home after to write a movie review. Because she had no background in criticism writing, Proudfoot spent time at the university’s library reading the works of critics such as The New Yorker’s Pauline Kael.
In Proadfoot's many works, both in glass art and in written pieces, she utilizes themes of rural West Virginia and the Appalachian landscape. Proudfoot moved from Buffalo to rural West Virginia and fell in love with the area.
“I love this land and the potential and possibility that comes with building a life out of your own hands, which is so possible here,” Proudfoot said. “And at the same time, I learned how little I knew about Appalachia and the struggles and challenges facing this region.”
Most recently, at the Dairy Barn, Proudfoot led a weekly Introduction to Stained Glass workshop that concluded in late April. Proudfoot actually credits the Dairy Barn with introducing her to the community before she had even started unpacking after she moved to Athens to pursue her Ph.D. in 1996.
“I didn't know anybody, and I looked at the Athens News, which said a class was starting up in figure drawing, and it was at the Dairy Barn. I was in Athens maybe three weeks … I didn't have all my stained glass tools and equipment with me, and I was barely unpacked,” Proudfoot said. “So, I found the Dairy Barn right away and made friends with people in the class … so many gifted other artists from the community. And then, of course, you find out what the community is like … I learned what Athens was like from taking that drawing class … I love the community in Athens. I love the fact that people come out and support it.”
Proudfoot’s message to emerging artists is one of perseverance and encouragement.
“If you love it, do it … Don't compare yourself with other people, or worry, ‘Is this right? Is this good?’ There's always going to be someone who you're going to think maybe can do this better … but trust yourself, and if you love it, do it,” Proudfoot said. “Find the people who are doing what you kind of want to do, and see if you can learn from them … And it can be overwhelming, but then by doing that, I began to realize, ‘Hey, if it's important to me, I'm going to stay with it.’”
You can find Proudfoot’s books, “Household Gods” and “Goshen Road,” at Little Professor Book Center, located at 65 S Court St, Athens, OH 45701, and more information on her work and upcoming classes at https://bonnieproudfootblog.wordpress.com/
