Welcome

Mia Donalson is in a forested environment and smiling.

Bio

Mia Donalson is an artist from Charlottesville, VA. Donalson graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with their BFA in craft and material studies in May 2023. Their work has been shown at galleries in Richmond and Charlottesville VA, and at Penland School of Craft in Bakersville NC. Donalson functions within the artistic canon of contemporary craft and autoethnographic art. They received a craft apprenticeship program (CAP) grant in 2023 to facilitate apprenticing under Caroline Woolard. Mia recently completed a two year Core Fellowship at Penland School of Craft. In 2026 they will be the Summer Fellow at Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft.

Artist Statement

As a highly sensitive queer person I have a complex relationship with the idea of home and belonging. They are connected for me, sustained belonging defines home and while I am learning moments of belonging, I lack the duration needed for it to be home. I make work to understand what home can be.I work dimensionally within the scale of jewelry to furniture, frequently featuring wood and metal. Craft objects live in the home in tandem with the inhabitants as both the structure of a house and the furnishings inside it. The inherent familiarity of household material allows for more engagement with the work. Using movement, repetition, and interactive elements in my work offers a pathway for people who crave recognition to see avenues towards community within their own lives. Through subversion of form and function I bring my lack of stable belonging into reality. Giving physical form to my personal experiences allows me to create connections with others and reflect on accepted social norms and cultural standards.Making objects is an investigation of the healing that I do, and the healing that is the heart of my work. Knowing I didn’t belong made me feel unseen; with my practice I am able to process my emotions and grow. In sharing aspects of healing in my work, it becomes more accessible to others.

Analog Memory, 2021, 2’x1’7”x3’3”, varied wood species both found and bought, objects of importance.

This is a wooden chair made by Mia Donalson. It is comprised of 50 boxes that each hold an object of importance.
This is a wooden chair made by Mia Donalson. It is comprised of 50 boxes that each hold an object of importance. This is the chair with the lids of the boxes open.

Constructed of fifty individual boxes joined together, this chair is fully functional and capable of holding my weight. Each box is built to the exact size of an object which symbolizes an important person or seminal experience in my life. As these people and events have shaped the foundation of who I am today, this chair gives a physical form to the collection of objects allowing them to literally support my body.

Rocking Table, 2022, 3’6”x2’3”x2’6”, Cherry and ceramic.

This is a wooden table with rockers made by Mia Donalson. It has a ceramic bowl in the center of it.
This is a detail shot of a bowl in the center of a wooden table built by Mia Donalson.

This work combines wood, clay, and human interaction to represent the fawn trauma response categorized by extreme people-pleasing behavior; this response seeks a sense of balance by appeasing those around them. This table accommodates the whims of those who would touch it while maintaining the levelness of its central bowl.

Listen, Obey Me, Comply, 2022, 3.5”x3.5”x3.5”, cherry wood bought and given.

These hollow, wooden blocks reference childrens building blocks but are sized for much larger hands. Each block face shows one carved letter, spelling a word or phrase: Listen, Obey Me, Comply. Although the blocks reference toys, the methods and materials used to make them suggest they should not be treated as such, referencing restrictions placed on children around objects of value.

Hold Your Tongue, 2022, 4”x2”x3”, sterling silver, human mouth.

Cast using a lost wax technique, these flowers are made from wild violets coated in wax. Connected to a cast representation of a tuber, the wearer is forced to bite down and clench their jaw to keep the violets in place. The violets may appear to the viewer as beautiful adornment, without making apparent the struggle of the wearer to uphold that image. This piece speaks to the tiring, invisible work of concealing personal suffering in efforts to fit in or be favorably perceived. It also references the tendency weeds have to be disregarded or violently removed unless they show something of value. Weeds live in a limbo of being both unwanted and hard to get rid of but able to provide value in beauty and as a metaphor for resilience.

Home?, February 2022, 1” x 1” x 1.5”, brass, pyrite stone, silver sheath.

Fabricated from brass finished to a reflective polish, this ring displays a pile of houses strapped down to a piece of pyrite. With the precarious nature of the houses and the foundation being a stone nicknamed fool’s gold, the social norm of equating houses with home is brought up. Being top heavy also forces the wearer to exert energy to keep the work balanced and upright. Defining home is a complex endeavor that extends beyond the physical structure of a building to include belonging and comfort. This work is a beginning for the viewers and wearer alike to consider their ideal of home in relation to houses.

Home., February 2022, 1” x 1” x 1.5”, sterling silver, creek clay rock, patinna

Created using lost wax casting, this ring holds the set stone to the skin of the wearer. The stone is constructed of clay from my childhood backyard, while the stump references a specific stump I played around as a kid. This adornment celebrates the personal, often hidden aspect of a person’s sense of belonging and home, allowing wearers to recognize the importance of play. It also speaks to the value of unseen growth and development by emphasizing roots as a crucial supporting structure.

Head in the Clouds, March 2022, 4’ x 2’ x floor to ceiling, stoneware clay, earthenware clay, blue glaze, maple wood, cable, green pillow, human body

Constructed of 50 hand thrown forms attached to a larger sphere, this work hovers above the floor and a cushion, asking the viewer to participate and become part of the piece themselves. The height of the piece intentionally forces adults to return to the height of a child by kneeling to enter, thus arousing memories or questions around the feeling of smallness, to desire escape in a fantasy world, and the wish to be held and protected.

Hug Forms, April 2022, dimensions vary, ceramic, faux fur, human body

Six irregular hollow ceramic forms are molded to a negative space of my body. Made by throwing closed forms to trap air, the objects were then hugged with direct contact to my chest or torso, creating distinctive curves. Soft textiles form a skin around the hard ceramic beneath, making the true nature of these pieces knowable only by touch. The body holds trauma in specific areas, and these pieces each nest or hold areas in my own body where trauma resides.

Negative Space Improperly Documented, May 2022, 6’4” x 1’6” x 5’, Unfired clay, white bed sheet, projection of destruction and repair.

This work consists of a video projected onto a hanging sheet holding a ceramic object. The video loops me laying down, hugging the wet ceramic form to my chest until it splits, and mending it. The objects conform to the space that a stuffed animal would be hugged for comfort, the bedsheet further references comfort and self-soothing.

Bunny, 2022-23, 4”x9”18”, deconstructed men’s t-shirt, fleece, stuffing.

Bunny is a durational performance piece that ran for 6 months. Reconstructed by reverse patterning my childhood stuffed animal, (now in tatters), using photos of my childhood featuring the original Bunny for reference, Bunny embodies the idea of childhood comfort. I carried Bunny with me everywhere, as I did with the original in childhood. Each day is documented both visually with pictures and written descriptions of interactions between Bunny and the world. Through the collection of day to day data, this work addresses societal views of comfort associated with age. It also interrogates the perceived link between color and gender. After processing the data, both the visual and written documentation will be displayed with Bunny as well as interpretation of the data through charts. Bunny is a journey of introspection and self-healing.

Breathe, 2024, 13”x13”x7”, steel.

A handcrafted forged and fabricated steel grate installed covering a wooden floor vent hole with white trim on the wall behind. Made by Mia Donalson.

Forged and fabricated in steel, this grate fits a standard four by ten inch duct opening in houses with central air systems. Referencing housing structure as a human body, the grate visually represents the cumulative effect of trauma as build up of invisible pressure.

Capacity I, 2024, 15”x15”x30” (dimensions vary), cherry wood and cotton.

A handcrafted table made from cherry wood shown against a white background kneeling with a rock in the orange-brown cotton fabric top. Made by Mia Donalson.
A handcrafted table made from cherry wood with an orange-brown cotton fabric top shown against a white background. It is held up mid-collape by two human hands. Made by Mia Donalson.
A handcrafted table made from cherry wood with an orange-brown cotton fabric top shown against a white background. It is held up from collape by two human hands. Made by Mia Donalson.

Capacity I is a table jointed to kneel when something too heavy is placed on top of it. Built to imitate the collapse a body or mind can experience when overburdened; it is ironic that the structure is not adequate to hold its own weight. Without being held up, the legs trigger immediately, leaving the furniture piece perpetually crouched.

Softened, 2024, 3’x1’x2’ (dimensions vary), cherry wood.

A handcrafted table made from cherry wood with an orange-brown cotton fabric top shown against a white background. It is held up from collape by two human hands. Made by Mia Donalson.
A wooden articulated chain handcrafted from cherry wood sits in a pile on a white background. Made by Mia Donalson.
A handcrafted table made from cherry wood with an orange-brown cotton fabric top shown against a white background. It is held up from collape by two human hands. Made by Mia Donalson.

Softened is a wearable wooden chain performed by a pair of people. Stretched out the piece is twice the height of my body. Worn by two people, the weight of self is made less unwieldy with help of another. Conforming to the bodies of the wearers, the links allow flexibility in specific directions for comfort but restriction in distance from the other participant. Tethered together, the participants have the opportunity to confront what it means to be in intimate space with another and the importance of support.

Disentanglement, 2025, 5”x13.5”x5.5” (individual), copper and brass.

A pair of handcrafted watering cans made from brass and copper is shown against a white background. The spouts of each are coiled to lock around each other and are connected. Made by Mia Donalson.
A pair of handcrafted watering cans made from brass and copper is shown against a white background. The spouts of each are coiled to lock around each other but are pictured separate and facing. Made by Mia Donalson.

Disentanglement is a set of two watering cans with curled spouts linked together. Based on a version of a nail puzzle, the two can be separated by solving the puzzle without deforming the spouts. When connected, the watering cans have limited mobility and pour towards but not into the body of the other. When separated, they function as individuals, symbolizing the difficulty of extracting yourself from a relationship without leaving or gaining damage.

Nothing to Prove, 2025, 16”x5”x7.5”, 22.5 oz rock, linen, cherry and ash wood.

A small cherry wood cabinet hung on a white wall has an open shelf in the top two thirds and a drawer in the bottom one third. Made by Mia Donalson.
A small cherry wood cabinet hung on a white wall has an open shelf in the top two thirds and a drawer in the bottom one third. The drawer is being partially opened by a hand and that action is lifting a rock on a cable in the upper cavity. Made by Mia Dona

Nothing To Prove is an elongated cabinet that lifts and releases a rock when used. Hung at the height of my sternum, viewers have the option to participate by opening the drawer. In doing so, they help carry an average of the weight of grief I carry daily. The rock is a fabrication of evidence from past events and the slow damage of the shelf below highlights the satirical nature of my need for proof. In the irony of this object breaking itself, I am asking for assistance through participation from the community to help me re-frame and re-learn a sense of self removed from this grief.

Switchworker, 2025, 22.5”x32”x25”, cherry wood, brass, tools, glass, hair, light.

Five unique light switch covers are mounted to a white box on the wall. Five light bulbs on bent brass tube stick out of the top of the box. There are three brass tools hung on the wall left of the box. Made by Mia Donalson.
Five unique light switch covers are mounted to a white box on the wall. Five lit light bulbs on bent brass tube stick out of the top of the box. There are three brass tools hung on the wall left of the box. Made by Mia Donalson.

Switchworker is a family of five different light switch covers mounted on unaltered residential light switches. Each cover presents a unique circumstance, either puzzle or uncomfortable use case, to bring attention to a common act of environmental regulation. Inaccessibility of direct and easy use emphasizes difference in starting points as a metaphor for inequity in society. Providing multiple places for interaction encourages collaboration as an avenue for problem solving.

This section is a work in progress! If you have found it, feel free to contact me at my email: [email protected] with any questions or inquiries.If you are looking for a downloadable copy of my CV, please contact me and I'll happily send you one.

Mia Donalson
Craft/Material Studies
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://bunnys--world.carrd.co/
Instagram: (@ivybean_17)
Location: Charlottesville, VAEDUCATION
2024-26 Core Fellowship at Penland School of Craft, Bakersville, NC
2023. B.F.A. Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts Department of Craft & Material Studies, Richmond, VAEXPERIENCE
May-Jul. 2026 Pocosin Arts Summer Fellowship.
May 2026 - Summer Residency at Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft.
Mar.-Apr. 2026 - Studio Assistant for Charlie Ryland’s Greenwood Technologies at Penland School of Craft.
Jan. 2026 - Winter Residency at Penland School of Craft.
Nov. 2025 - Core artist talk at Penland School of Craft.
Aug. 2025 - Art Handler for Penland School of Craft Annual Benefit Auction.
Apr. 2025 - Core artist talk at Penland School of Craft.
Feb. 2025 - Guest Speaker for a community outreach tour of Penland School of Craft.
Feb. 2025 - Jan. 2026 - Front and Back of House Co-Manager for The Pines Dining Hall.
Feb. 2025 - Jan. 2026 - Gallery Manager for Core Gallery at Penland School of Craft.
Jan. 2025 - Winter Residency at Penland School of Craft.
Aug. 2024 - Art Handler for Penland School of Craft Annual Benefit Auction.
Aug. 2024 - Sales Assistant for Sarah Vaughn for Penland School of Craft Annual Benefit Auction.
Apr. 2024 - Core artist talk at Penland School of Craft.
Feb. 2024 - Jan. 2025 - Front and Back of House Co-Manager for Penland School of Craft Dining Hall.
Feb. 2024 - Jan. 2025 - Co-leader of the Entertainment Department for Penland School of Craft.
Feb. 2024 - Feb. 2026 Core Fellow at Penland School of Craft.
Jan. - Feb. 2024 Residency at Vermont Studio Center.
Jan. 2024 - Resident Presentation at Vermont Studio Center.
Aug. - Dec. 2023 Apprentice of Caroline Woolard.
Aug. - Dec. 2023 Teaching Assistant for Caroline Woolard’s class: Art Worlds We Want, studio and seminar.
Aug. - Dec. 2023 Visiting Scholar at George Washington University The Corcoran School of Art and Design.
Oct. 2023 Artist Talk for Caroline Wollard’s class: Art Worlds We Want.
Jun. 2023 Pocosin Studio Assistant in Wood for Vivian Chiu.
Apr. 2023 Student Liaison and Demo participant for VCU Preview Day.
Apr. 2023 Assistant for The Decency Project by Scott Braun.
Mar. 2023 Student Liaison for The Anderson Gallery’s Senior Capstone Exhibition.
Feb. 2023 Artist Talk for Golden String Show, Studio IX.
2022-2023 VCU Woodshop Monitor.
Dec. 2022 Student Liaison for The Anderson Gallery’s show [...].
Oct. 2022 Artist Talk for A/Tension show.
Oct. 2022 Student Representative for Prospective Students Open House.
2022 Summer Intern at CityClay, Charlottesville, VA.
2022 Preview day volunteer and student representative for the Craft and Material Studies Department.
2022 Undergraduate Student Department Liaison, Spring 2022 VCUarts Open House.
2021 Undergraduate Student Department Liaison, Fall 2021 VCUarts Open House.AWARDS AND GRANTS
2026 – Windgate Individual Artist Grant.
2024–2026 – Core Fellow Fellowship at Penland School of Craft.
2025 – Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) Get Ready Grant.
2024 – Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) Grant.
2024 – Craft Futures Fund - WNC Emergency Relief.
2024 – Fellowship for a residency at Vermont Studio Center.
2023 – CAP, Craft Apprenticeship Program.
2023 – Finalist for the Wingate-Lamar Fellowship.
2022 – Undergraduate Juried Exhibition Jurors Award for Best in Craft and Material Studies.
2022 – FS22 Scholarship (year long Furniture Society membership).
2022 – VCUarts Dean’s Scholarship in Craft and Material Studies.
2021 – Peachtree Award in the Visual Arts, Craft & Material Studies.
2020 – Andrew Gehr West Scholarship in Craft & Material Studies.
2020 – Outstanding Portfolio Award.
2019 – 2023 VCU School of Arts Dean’s List, Richmond VA.
2019 – 2023 VA Merit Award.EXHIBITIONS
2026
Exhibiting artist: Firewood, Alma’s Gallery, Richmond, VA. Apr.
Exhibiting artist: Breaking Ground, Wharton Esherick Museum’s 32nd annual juried exhibition, online and in publication. Jun.-Sept.
Co-curator and exhibiting artist: Encore, Core Show, Penland School of
Craft Gallery North, Bakersville, NC. Jan.
2025
Co-curator and exhibiting artist: Core Pop-up, Penland School of Craft Northlight, Bakersville, NC. Aug.
Co-curator and exhibiting artist: Sardines, Core Show, Penland School of
Craft Gallery North, Bakersville, NC. Jan.
2024Co-curator and exhibiting artist: Core Pop-up, Penland School of Craft Core
Gallery, Bakersville, NC. Aug.
2023
Group Exhibition: Senior Capstone, VCU Anderson, Richmond, VA. Mar.
Group Exhibition: Golden String, Studio IX, Charlottesville, VA. Apr.
Solo Exhibition: VCU Hawthorne Gallery, Richmond, VA. Feb.
Group Exhibition: Wood Studio, Hawthorn Gallery, Richmond, VA. Jan.
2022
Group Exhibition: To Keep You Warm, The Anderson Gallery, Richmond VA. Dec.
Solo Exhibition: A/Tension, City Clay Gallery, Charlottesville VA. Oct.
Group Exhibition: [...], The Anderson Gallery, Richmond, VA
Undergraduate Juried Exhibition: The Anderson Gallery, Richmond VA.
Co-curator and exhibiting artist: Vitamin C, DePillars Gallery, Richmond, VA.
Co-curator and exhibiting artist: Hawthorn Gallery, Richmond VA.
2020
Group Exhibition: AFO command/evolve show, Richmond VA.Extras
2023 - Work featured in VCU’s magazine: Studio, Richmond, VA.
2021 - Work featured in presentation during panel discussion on Sam Forrest, Atavistic Memories by the Branch Museum, Richmond, VA.