Shawn O’Connor was born and raised in Minot, ME. Shawn completed his BFA at the University of Southern Maine in 2005. After his undergraduate studies, Shawn went on to be a resident and staff member at Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Newcastle, ME. He also completed a six-week residency at the Robert M. MacNamara Foundation on Westport Island, ME. In May of 2010, Shawn received his MFA in Ceramics from Syracuse University. The main focus of his research in graduate school revolved around wood firing. While at Syracuse, Shawn designed and constructed a train style wood kiln. He later went on to publish an article about his kiln in the Log Book, an international Journal devoted to wood firing. Shawn most currently completed, an Artist-in-Residence at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Shawn’s work has been shown nationally in numerous exhibitions.