Stefana McClure was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, in 1959. She grew up in Belfast during "the Troubles". and it influences her work. She went to art college in London where she graduated in 1984 with a BA in Sculpture from Hornsey College of Art before moving to Japan for twelve years. There she completed post-graduate studies in paper making at Kyoto Seika University having won the Monbusho Scholarship. From there McClure moved to New York.