DONNA LOWSON
Artist Researcher.
Material remembers where the archive forgets

Curriculum Vitae
Education
2025 – Present MFA Fine Art, Sheffield Hallam University
2022 – 2024 BA Fine Art, Level 5 + 6, Sheffield Hallam University
2021 – 2022 BA Fine Art, Level 4, Manchester Metropolitan University
2020 – 2021 Foundation Art and Design, The Sheffield College
Research & Study Visits
2026
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Study of hair work holdings, Brontë Parsonage Museum
2025
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Study of Georgian and Victorian hair work holdings, Gawthorpe Hall
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Study of mourning jewellery and hair embroidery, Bankfield Museum
2024
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Study of Georgian and Victorian hair embroideries, Bury Art and Sculpture Museum
Research & Publications
2026
Research Notes accepted into the Brontë Parsonage Museum Research Library
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Recognising the Double Elastic Braid (J13 & J43)
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Elastic Hairwork in Circulation: The 1848 Advertisement and the Brontë Collection
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Unpicking the Square Braid: Hair work, Kumihimo, and the Brontë Bracelet (HAOBPJ30)
2025
Research findings accepted into museum archives, Bury Art and Sculpture Museum
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Burys Art and Sculpture museums, Hair Embroideries.
2026
Critical Review on Hairwork, Adaptation, and Material Culture in relation to Margot Robbie and Wuthering Heights, accepted into the Brontë Parsonage Museum Research Library
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Hair Work: Then and Now.
Work Experience
2025 - Present Sheffield Museums Volunteer
2024 – 2025 Volunteer Committee Member, Open Up Sheffield, Social media engagement
2022 – 2024 Volunteer, Bloc Projects Gallery, Sheffield, Front of house
Solo Show
2024
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Whispers, The Art House, Sheffield
Exhibitions
2026
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My Hair & Me, Invited Artists Group Show, Sarah Baulch Gallery, Kent, UK
2025
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Self-Portrait, Online Exhibition, Cista Arts, London
2024
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Hidden, Group Exhibition, The House of Smalls Gallery, Edinburgh
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Feedback Showcase, Yorkshire Artspace, Sheffield
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Moral Fibre, Group Exhibition, The House of Smalls Gallery, Edinburgh
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SHU Degree Show, Sheffield Hallam University
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Flowers, Group Exhibition, Fronteer Gallery, Sheffield
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Ones to Watch, Group Exhibition, Sunny Bank Mills, Pudsey
2023
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Winter Warmers, Group Exhibition, Fronteer Gallery, Sheffield
Interviews / Features
2025
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Artist interview with Green Salon Collective
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Feature by Human Material Loop
Collaboration / Residencies
2025 Bankfield Museum: In Loving Memory Exhibition, Halifax, UK
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Loan of personal hair work collection for display
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Exhibiting artist on select dates, sharing knowledge and demonstrating Georgian and Victorian hairwork techniques
2024 Brown Street Projects: The Occurrence, Sheffield
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Group artist-led residencies responding to a derelict building in Sheffield’s cultural quarter
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Resulted in a 3-day exhibition
Achievements
2024
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Shortlisted for New Contemporaries
Workshops and Public Engagements
(Upcoming)
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Victorian hair work workshop, Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust, Buxton, UK
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Victorian hair work workshop, Brontë Parsonage Museum, Haworth, UK
2026
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Victorian Hair Work Demonstration, Bronte Parsonage Museum, UK
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Victorian hair work demonstration Talk, Online, Brontë Parsonage Museum, Haworth, UK
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Multiple Victorian Hair Work Demonstrations in conjunction with In Loving Memory exhibition, Bankfield Museum,
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Hair as Keepsake, Victorian hair work workshop, Bankfield Museum, Halifax, UK
2025
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Multiple Victorian Hair Work Demonstrations in conjunction with In Loving Memory exhibition, Bankfield Museum,
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Hair as Keepsake, Victorian hair work workshop, Bankfield Museum, Halifax, UK
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Beyond Strands, Victorian hair work workshop, Danum Gallery, Doncaster, UK
2024
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Timeless Blooms, Victorian hair work workshop, Kiln Coffee, Sheffield, UK
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Beyond Strands, Victorian hair work workshop, Fronteer Gallery, Sheffield, UK