Mary Joan MacNeill was born in New Annan, Prince Edward Island, the daughter of Alexander Joseph MacNeill and Mary Ellen (Keough) MacNeill.At the age of sixteen she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Martha of Prince Edward Island.After taking religious vows in the Congregation she served for twenty years as a cook in several of their institutions.To become an artist was always a dream so she went to St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA, where she took studies in many areas of art education and earned a B.F.A. Degree.Sister Joan also studied art at: the University of Prince Edward Island; Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine; Holland College School of Creative Arts and St. Mary's Institute, Rome, Italy.Major Exhibitions:Eptek Centre, Summerside, PEI; Moreau Gallery, South Bend, Indiana, USA and Holland College School of Creative Arts, PEI.Group Exhibitions: Rothman's Gallery, Moncton, NB; Princetown Gallery, Malpeque, PEI; Student Faculty Exhibition, St. Mary's College, Indiana, USA; Island Images, Confederation Centre, PEI; Learned Society Exhibition, University of PEI; Rental Gallery, Confederation Centre, PEI; Ellen's Creek Gallery, Charlottetown, PEI and Mermaid Gallery, Confederation Court Mall, Charlottetown, PEI. Sister Joan has been active in promoting art education in the Prince Edward Island Schools. After teaching art at Westile Composite High School for seventeen years, she retired, but continued to give workshops and create her own work.

SOURCE: Government of Prince edward Island