Born in New York, Joe Donna grew up in the Detroit area. In 1985, he received an MFA in Ceramics from Michigan State University. Shortly thereafter, he secured a teaching position at Kirkland Community College where he taught for the next 27 years. Currently, he is an adjunct faculty member at Alpena Community College where he has taught art for the past 36 years. Joe works in all mediums but favors the photographic image. His subject matter ranges from whimsical portrayals of current culture to the deadly seriousness of religious dogma. Joe's works have been in many national exhibitions with several private collections. He has participated in exhibitions at the Besser Museum and has participated for the past eight years in Art Prize in Grand Rapids, Michigan.