Ria Bancroft was born in England, but moved to Canada where she worked as a television designer and display artist. Eventually, this work lead her to explore other artistic pursuits, and Bancroft traveled to Italy in 1960 to study art in Florence.
In 1962 she moved to New Zealand with her family who had decided to emigrate. Once here, she discovered an art community more promising than she expected, along with opportunities to explore media that she might have previously overlooked. Bancroft became a member of the Canterbury Society of Arts and in 1963 was invited to exhibit with The Group. She exhibited regularly and received many commissions, including the Tabernacle Screen Doors for Christchurch’s Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.
