Neil Noland was born in Asheville, NC, and attended famed Black Mountain College, where he received formal education in various art media, including drawing, sculpture and ceramics.  On the G.I. Bill, he traveled to Paris and Madrid before returning to the U.S. - first to New York City then to Vermont and Amagansett, following his diagnosis with tuberculosis in 1966.  Known for embuing sculpture with painterly qualities, Noland's work often finds purpose in his fierce concern for environmental issues.

In Amagansett, Neil Noland lived and worked on Oak Lane, directly across from Stuart's Seafood, and bayman Stuart Vorphal frequently loaned his time and talents helping Noland create his work.