• Mongrain went to a private Catholic school before attending public high school. At fourteen, he traveled to Carthage, Missouri, for a program of study in Latin and other subjects necessary to become an Oblate, a kind of lay monk. After high school, he decided instead to pursue art studies.

• The artist earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in 1978 and a masters in fine arts degree from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville in 1991.

• Interests in religious philosophy and science have influenced Mongrain’s three-dimensional installations, many of which are displayed in churches, including Glasgow Cathedral in Scotland. The works incorporate wood, ceramics, glass, liquids, and other materials.

• For seven years, Mongrain taught at the Glasgow School of Art. Since 1995 he has been a professor of art at Hunter College in New York City.