PROFILE

J. McNeil Sargent has been a dynamic force in the San Diego art scene since her move here over twenty-seven years ago from Washington, D.C. A world traveler with a wide-ranging experience in the arts, her focus has been largely in the graphics field. She is also an accomplished painter in oils.
Upon tracing her roots back to John Singer Sargent and James McNeil Whistler, it prompted her to take the "nom d'artiste" J. McNeil Sargent (aka Jean Braley). One of her first undertakings, when she arrived here, was to organize and serve as president of the local chapter of National Artists Equity. The chapter grew to a membership of over three hundred artists. Several "Art Laws" protecting the rights of artists and their work passed in the California in 1980 were due in part to her going to Sacramento and advising Senator Sieroty of the artists needs.
In 1982, she was asked by artist Francoise Gilot to become Executive Director of the Printmaker's Atelier. Under her guidance the Atelier gained international recognition in the graphics field. Currently, she is chairperson of the Sargent Art Group, a partnership of professional and emerging artists.
McNeil is represented in over four hundred public and private collections, and is listed in "Who's Who in American Art." Her original graphics are in the National Biblioteque of Paris, France; the American Embassy program in Washington, D.C.; the Las Vegas museum, Las Vegas, NV and others. She has exhibited her work in numerous museum shows throughout the world as well as several one-person shows in galleries and museums throughout America, and in India and France. Her work has also been published in several magazines, books, and on film.
McNeil finds inspiration on the Cote d'Azur, where she spends half of each year working on her art for upcoming exhibits. The Center for Woman's Studies at San Diego State University, named McNeil Sargent as one of the four outstanding woman artists in San Diego.