[4] Tracy Harris was born in 1958 in Lawton, Oklahoma, and she grew up in Dallas, Texas until age 10.
[6][5] After age 10, the family moved a lot after her father took a civilian architect role with the United States Army and Air Force, they lived in Honolulu, Guam, Manila, and Thailand.
After college she worked at the Dallas Museum of Art and taught painting classes.
[5] It was through her work at the Dallas museum she was connected by a mutual friend to minimalist artist Dan Flavin, initially as a penpal and later as long distance dating.
[6][7] Harris later lived between Long Island, New York and Greenwich, Connecticut after the marriage.