DONNA MARIA TAYLOR - MY STORY
I am a professional practicing artist and fully qualified, experienced art tutor based in York.
My extremely varied 30 year art career has centred around both theatre production and the teaching of adults. During this time I have designed shows, painted scenery and made props and costumes for theatre companies both here in the UK and abroad. I have also taught in a wide variety of settings.
When not working on theatre projects or teaching I spend my time developing my own art practice and I exhibit regularly, including as part of York Open Studios and North Yorkshire Open Studios.
I work out of my bright and airy studio which is located in the “Bishy Road” area of York.
B.A. (Honours) in Multi-disciplinary Design
Post Graduate Diploma in Theatre Design (pass with distinction)
PGCE in Post Compulsory Education & Training (further and higher education)
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BLUEBIRD BAKERY. ACOMB
18th Dec 2025 to 12th Feb 2026YORK NHS HOSPITAL
Ongoing..DANBY INSPIRED GALLERY (NYOS taster exhibition)
14th February to 10th May 2026CRAVEN ARTS, SKIPTON (“From the Earth” joint selected exhibition)
26th March to 26th April 2026YORK OPEN STUDIOS
18th/19th & 25th/26th April 2026CROOKED TAP, ACOMB (joint exhibition)
8th July to 24th August 2026AMPLEFORTH COLLEGE (NYOS joint exhibition)
11th to 19th JulyYORK NHS HOSPITAL (Solo exhibition) September 2026
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2025
CITY SCREEN, YORK
2nd March to 5th April 2025NYOS TASTER EXHIBITION, CRAVEN ARTS CENTRE, SKIPTON
21st March to 10th May 2025DANBY LODGE NATIONAL PARK CENTRE
29th March to 11th May 2025YORK OPEN STUDIOS
5th/6th and 12th/13th April 2025SALTAIRE ARTS TRAIL
23rd to 25th May 2025NORTH YORKSHIRE OPEN STUDIOS
7th/8th and 14th/15th June 2025HARDING HOUSE GALLERY, LINCOLN
14th to 29th June 2025SCARBOROUGH NHS HOSPITAL
Mid August to December 2025BLUEBIRD BAKERY. ACOMB
18th Dec 2025 to 12th Feb 20262024
YORK NHS HOSPITAL - December 2023 to April 2024
”ARTISTS WINDOWS”, PICCADILLY, YORK - 27th February to 28th March 2024
YOS TASTER EXHIBITION (Hospitium) 7th & 8th April 2024
YORK OPEN STUDIOS (Venue 41 ) 13th/14th and 20th/21st April 2024
CYCLE HEAVEN, YORK - May & June 2024
MICKLEGATE ARTS TRAIL
1st to 23rd June 2024STAITHES FESTIVAL - 13th, 14th, 15th September 2024
SOUTH BANK STUDIOS - Open day / sale 28th September 2024
BADGER IN THE WALL GALLERY - 26th Sept to 3rd Nov 2024
THE STATION, RICHMOND - “This Rugged Isle” - 7th to 20th November 2024
SOUTH BANK STUDIOS - Winter Fair 23rd November 2024
SOUTH BANK STUDIOS - Christmas Art Trail - 7th December 2024
2023
JIGSAW
CITY SCREEN
YOS TASTER EXHIBITION
YORK OPEN STUDIOS
JIGSAW
DRIFT
PYRAMID GALLERY
(Donderdag Collective exhibition)FABRICATION
(Joint exhibition with Karen Winship)STAITHES FESTIVAL
SOUTH BANK STUDIOS
Winter Fair & Open Studios2022
OSBORNE’S
PYRAMID GALLERY
(Westside Artists’ Collective)SOUTH BANK STUDIOS
(YOS collective exhibition)YORK OPEN STUDIOS
JIGSAW on Stonegate, York
2021
VILLAGE GALLERY
(Westside Artists - “Immersed”)BLOSSOM STREET GALLERY
(Westside Artists - “Momentum”)SOUTH BANK STUDIOS
(YOS collective exhibition)YORK OPEN STUDIOS
ART IN THE MILL, Knaresborough
(Westside Artists - “Showcase”)SOUTH BANK STUDIOS
Winter Fair & Open Studios2020
PYRAMID GALLERY
(York Art Workers)YORK OPEN STUDIOS - cancelled
OSBORNE’S
2019
YORK OPEN STUDIOS
York EXPLORE library
OSBORNE’S
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My teaching experience has spanned over three decades and has included workshops and courses at:
York City Art Gallery
York Museums
York EXPLORE libraries
Colleges and Universities (UK wide)
Yorkshire based Art Groups
Numerous community venues around the City of York including community centres, children centres, schools, church halls and a local prison.
In my position as Senior Tutor & Observer for York Learning (Adult Education) I have delivered over 85 different courses including: ‘Painting and Drawing’, ‘Lino Printing’ and ‘Experimental Watercolours’ to name just a few.
I also teach privately and I am involved in regular Community Art Projects across the City of York. Recently these have included: ‘John Piper - mixed media collage’, My Bubble’, ‘Flight’, The Place Where I Live’, ‘Bloom’, 'PolliNation', 'Tiger Moths and Memories', “Face of York’, 'Santa's Socks' and 'ADAM' festival'.
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My recent theatre clients have included:
Oxford Playhouse
Leeds Playhouse
York Theatre Royal
Shakespeare Rose Theatre, York
Hull Truck / Royal Shakespeare Company
Harrogate Theatre Scenic Services
Sheffield Theatres
English Touring Theatre
York Minster
Recent theatre shows I have worked on include: ‘Psychic’ (York Theatre Royal), ‘Sovereign’ (York Theatre Royal), ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘Wizard of Oz’ (Leeds Playhouse), ‘Cinderella’, ‘Robin Hood’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Dick Whittington’ (Oxford Playhouse), ‘Snow White’ (Grand Opera House, York), ‘Sleeping Beauty’, 'Jack and the Beanstalk', 'Everything is Possible', 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' (York Theatre Royal), ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe', 'Strictly Ballroom', 'Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang' (West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds), 'Macbeth’, ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Richard III’ (Shakespeare Rose Theatre, York & Oxford) and 'York Mystery Plays' (York Minster).