Frances Dorsey moved to Ontario from the United States during the Vietnam war and has lived in Nova Scotia with partner and children since 1995, teaching at NSCAD. A childhood spent moving around the world offered her wonderful opportunities to observe humanity and nature in a range of situations that still influence her ideas. She holds undergraduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Ontario College of Art, and an MFA from the University of Michigan. Her work has shown in Canada, the United States, Australia, and Korea, and is held in private and public collections including the Nova Scotia Art Bank, the Canada Council Art Bank, the Mount Saint Vincent University Art Gallery Collection, the Cambridge Gallery Collection of Contemporary Textiles.