Shona Macdonald

Shona Macdonald is a Professor in the Department of Art at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she also served as Department Chair from 2018–2021. A Scottish-born artist with dual MFA and BFA degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago (1996) and Glasgow School of Art (1991), her work explores environmental themes through painting, drawing, and textile installations. Her practice interrogates human relationships with landscapes, particularly focusing on weather, climate change, and the tension between natural and urban environments.

Macdonald’s research is reflected in solo exhibitions like Weather Accents (2023) and Blow-In (upcoming 2026), which use rain motifs and knitted textiles to address climate anxiety. She has held residencies at Ballinglen (Ireland, 2018), Roswell (NM, 2010–11), and Cromarty Arts Trust (Scotland, 2014), alongside over 50 visiting artist roles at institutions worldwide.

Her honors include the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Fellowship (2009) and University of Massachusetts’ Outstanding Research Award (2012). Teaching focuses on advanced painting, drawing, and interdisciplinary seminars like Special Topics: Sense of Place.

Led by a commitment to environmental discourse, her work is held in collections at the Telfair Art Museum (GA), Fitchburg Art Museum (MA), and Roswell Museum & Art Center (NM).