Donna Diamond
Donna Diamond is an American artist, primarily known for her work as a children's book illustrator. Her cover artwork appeared on a number of 20th Century novels, many of which were the inspiration for myriad TV after-school specials in the United States and Canada, notably Bridge to Terabithia, and Beat the Turtle Drum, among others. Diamond is also known for her printmaking and linoleum block artwork.
Donna Diamond
- Occupation
- illustrator · artist
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Donna Diamond is an American artist, primarily known for her work as a children's book illustrator. Her cover artwork appeared on a number of 20th Century novels, many of which were the inspiration for myriad TV after-school specials in the United States and Canada, notably Bridge to Terabithia, and Beat the Turtle Drum, among others. Diamond is also known for her printmaking and linoleum block artwork.
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In this article
Early life
Early life
Donna Diamond was born and raised in New York City. She attended the Boston University School of Art and received a BFA in Sculpture. Encouraged by artist Robert Blackburn, Diamond pursued printmaking at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop. It was there that her work in drawings and monotypes became discovered, and her art was commissioned for the cover illustrations of various children's books.
Other notable work
Other notable work
In 2013, Diamond received the BRIO Award for Drawing from the Bronx Council on the Arts. She contributed her art to exhibits at the Elisa Contemporary Art Gallery in the Bronx, and the Rush Art Gallery in Philadelphia. Diamond was also featured in a profile in The Bronx Art Exchange NYC, and in 2012, she was chosen as the subject of the Bronx Council on the Arts "Artist Spotlight". In 2011, she received the BRIO Award for Printmaking from the Bronx Council on the Arts, and participated in the New York Print Club's "Artists' Showcase". Two of her linoleum cuts were published and exhibited by Cannonball Press in 2010. In 2008, she received the BRIO Award for Book Arts. Additionally, four of her monotypes have been published in Carrier Pigeon Magazine of Fiction and Fine Art. Diamond is the recipient of the 2017 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship. Fellow artist Chris Koehler credited Donna Diamond as one of his biggest inspirations in 2021, owing to her work on Bridge to Terabithia.
Works and production
Works and production
The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count.
Book illustrations
Donna Diamond is recognized as the front cover illustrator of a number of contemporary classic children's books, mostly in the coming-of-age and fantasy genres and targeted towards middle-grade audiences. Such titles include, but are not limited to, Beat the Turtle Drum, Bridge to Terabithia, The Day of the Unicorn, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Jacob Have I Loved, Molly and the Sword, Walter: the Story of A Rat, The Magic Menorah: A Modern Chanukah Tale, and Riches. Bridge to Terabithia, which was adapted into a 1985 made-for-TV movie and later a 2007 Disney feature film, is considered by collectors to be a valuable first edition, with Diamond's cover art portraying main characters Jess and Leslie chatting together over a mint-green coloured background. The books in which Diamond's art appears have won numerous awards, including The Newbery Medal and The Irma Simonton Black Award. In 2010, Diamond completed a suite of seventeen paintings that work sequentially to express a psychological drama, intended more for an adult audience. The paintings were published as a wordless book called The Shadow by Candlewick Press in 2010.
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q111722862: Donna Diamond
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Donna Diamond”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Ann deVere and SPARC present visiting artist Donna Diamond. Project FIND. April 14, 2014.
- 2.ProjectFind. Ann deVere and SPARC present visiting artist Donna Diamond. www.projectfind.org.
- 3.The Art of Donna Diamond. Bio. www.theartofdonnadiamond.com.
- 4.ProjectFind. Ann deVere and SPARC present visiting artist Donna Diamond. www.projectfind.org.
- 5.Publishers Weekly. THE MAGIC MENORAH: A Modern Chanukah Tale. www.publishersweekly.com.
- 6.Colorado Mountain College. Bridge to Terabithia (Book). cmc.marmot.org.
- 7.HarperCollins. Donna Diamond. www.harpercollins.com.
- 8.Crowell, T.Y. Bridge to Terabithia. www.kirkusreviews.com. Kirkus Reviews.
- 9.ProjectFind. Ann deVere and SPARC present visiting artist Donna Diamond. www.projectfind.org.
- 10.The Art of Donna Diamond. Bio. www.theartofdonnadiamond.com.
- 11.Bond, Theodore. Awesome Artists We’ve Found Around The Net: Chris Koehler. www.joblo.com. JoBlo.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q111722862: Donna DiamondWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Illustration
5,224 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Donald MaxwellIllustrator
- Donald RobertsonIllustrator
- Donald WatsonIllustrator
- Donato GiancolaIllustrator
- Donovan Paul BixleyIllustrator
- Dora BonevaIllustrator
- Dora Wheeler KeithIllustrator
- Doris BurnIllustrator
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