Minami Oya is a visual artist, glassmaker and educator, currently living and working in San Francisco, California. Born and raised on the island of Sado in Japan, Minami grew up surrounded by nature, art and the ancestral consciousness. Her work that employs glass and mixed media as metaphorical instruments, installations, and works on paper have been shown in solo and juried exhibitions in the United States. She began her deep passion for glass in 2008 at San Francisco State University and has trained with maestros in studios such as Pilchuck Glass School, Pittsburgh Glass Center, Corning Museum of Glass, and D.F. Glassworks in Murano, Italy. Minami holds MFA in Spatial Art from San Jose State University and have taught in several institutions including California College of the Arts, San Jose State University, and Public Glass in San Francisco.