Ep. 170: Donna Gagnon

Southcoast Artists Index

Welcome, Donna Gagnon, Artist, and Painter, AKA, Donna Sylvia Gagnon, who as a child was always interested in drawing, so much so that her parents sent her to the Swain School of Design summer program classes. After graduating from Fairhaven High School, Donna attended S.M.U. (Southeastern Massachusetts University), now the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where she majored in Visual Design. Donna Gagnon then worked at various advertising agencies, printers, and civil engineering firms.

One of her favorite jobs, she says, "...was working with the New Bedford Public Schools Superintendant of Art in their Performing Arts Program with Ron Fortier, who was the project director." The program was subsidized under the C.E.T.A. (Comprehensive Employment Training Act) and, "...the team developed a puppet show to teach New Bedford’s history to students and tourists."

Upon retirement, Donna began pursuing and focusing on her painting again. People Places, and Pets are her main subjects. She works in the traditional realistic style and is always searching for light and shadow to bring subjects to life. Donna Gagnon's work has been shown around the South Coast, Providence, and Boston and is in several collections around the country. This past April, she was. "delighted that my exhibit at the Wamsutta Club sold 14 paintings! I feel lucky to live in this area among so many talented artists."

The Artists Index co-founder and host, Ron Fortier, talks to Donna Gagnon about her background, passions, and their time at C.E.T.A. in the seventies. The Artists Index continues using Zoom to accommodate our guests’ schedules and to allow them to remain in the comfort of their homes, especially for those who no longer live in the South Coast of Massachusetts. Our home base and studio is at Spectrum Marketing Group in Howland Place in New Bedford

The whole concept of The Artists Index and our journey is still in the making and very organic. If you would like to be a guest or, have a suggestion, please let us know!

The In-Focus Podcasts are up close and personal conversations with the makers, performers, supporters, and cultural impresarios of the remarkable creative community of South Coast Massachusetts including New Bedford, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Westport, and beyond.