John Paul II mosaic

Born on 3 November 1975, of English and Irish descent. She grew up in Wellsley, United States, not far from Boston. She graduated from Pomona College in 1998 where she majored in art history. She then moved to Rome where she studied art conservation at the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro. During her studies, she discovered a passion not only for the conservation of ancient mosaics, but also for making new mosaics from scratch. In 2005 Megan Brooks Mahan met Roberto Maria Anselmi, a master mosaicist, and learned from him. Anselmi saw in her the ability and passion to follow in his footsteps. She worked with the master mosaicist until his death, later taking over his studio.