Born in January of 1952 in Cincinnati Ohio, Ann Corcoran was first exposed to glasswork in the old Gilman Street Studio run by the California College of Arts & Crafts. She received an AAS in weaving and textile design after attending the Rochester Institute of Technology School for American Craftsmen, in 1972.

Formal glassmaking education began under the guidance of Marvin Lipovsky at the California College of Arts & Crafts. Ann graduated with a BFA in 1974, where she studied such varied pursuits as photography, printmaking, woodworking, fiber and video production.

It was in the glass class that Ann met her future husband Micheal Nourot and apprenticed with him at his first studio "The Light Opera".

In 1974 Mrs. Corcoran became a partner, and later that year married Micheal Nourot.

She applied her many talents to the tasks of designing color patterns with enamels that would become part of the line products. A style closely attributed to her early work in textile coloring and enameling. She worked carefully with Micheal Nourot to build the new studio from the ground up. All the while developing new and more far-reaching glassworking skills.