Role
Theodora is a Tutor and Reseacher and works as Technical Specialist in Print at NTU.
She has comprehensive technical knowledge in printmaking and screen printing. Her knowledge spans on industrial and natural dyes, as well as risograph, digital print and book arts.
Theodora delivers practical tutoring sessions, provides support, supervision and guidance across all years of undergraduate and postgraduate level programmes across Art and Design.
Since 2022, she is part of the technical team for the NTU Waverley Dye Garden an organic, chemical-free and self-sustained area for growing plants which can be utilised to make natural and sustainable dyes for student projects and teaching.
Career overview
Dora holds an MA in Visual and Applied Arts from Aristotle University, Greece, where she also finished her BA focused on Fine Arts. She was a visiting scholar in Hildesheim University Germany, where she further explored fine art practices. She also obtained Master’s in Textile Design at NTU, 2019.
She started her professional career gaining work experience in the cultural sector in Greece. In addition to many posts in Greece, her professional experience includes working as Curatorial/Exhibition Assistant for the Ostrale Biennale, the third biggest contemporary art exhibition in Germany, 2017, NTU’s Art Collection, 2018 and Nottingham Contemporary, 2019, assisting on the Bauhaus Exhibition.
She has worked as visiting tutor in academic institutions and creative art spaces including Leicester Print Workshop, BACKLIT, and LU Arts.
Her work has been published in leading textbooks in the field of textile design and she has been a Guest Lecturer in the School of Visual and Applied Arts, Aristotle University, 2021.
She has been invited speaker sharing her expertise in sustainability, working with NTU natural dye garden, developing natural dye recipes for art and design students and enhancing curriculum design:
- SDC Midlands Region Annual General Meeting and Presentation Evening, 2024
- Panel discussion alongside other NTU academics working on climate science, global policy, and sustainability during NTU X Green Week Overheated Film Screening, 2025
- Webinar: SDC Embedding Sustainability in Colour Education, 2025
- Online Session ETHO ELIA: Gardening as a Future Making Practice, 2026
She has presented her research in ETHO Technical Conference, 2025 and GLAD HE conference, 2025.
In 2026 she contributed and took park to the workshop “Shared Ground: Multi‑Institutional Perspectives on University Dye Gardens” for International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI) led by Prof. Amanda Briggs Goode, Tarryn Handcock, Corinna Joyce, Cheryl Prendergast, and Verity Prideaux, exploring how dye gardens can function as living classrooms—reintegrating fashion and textile education with local ecologies, communities, and cross-cultural, practice-based knowledge
Research areas
Theodora's research focuses on circular design, sustainability in creative practice, and the use of natural dyes as both an artistic medium and a pedagogical tool. She shares knowledge and engages with diverse communities through creative and accessible approaches to art and learning.
External activity
Dora has an active artistic presence and her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in various exhibitions and festivals. Her work has received awards and been commissioned.
More information about her practice and activities can be found here
Fellowships
- 2021 – Present: AFHEA- Associate Fellow of The Higher Education Academy
Memberships
- ELIA Art Schools
- Member of Society of Dyers and Colourists
- Member Axisweb
Other activities
- 2024 - Present: Committee member Midlands Region Society of Dyers and Colourists
- 2021: Tutor at NTU Saturday Art Club and NTU Short Course Tutor designing and delivering courses in the areas of visual arts, natural dyeing and printed textiles.
- 2019: she has created her own design brand, which specialises in limited edition collections and prints for accessory products and home wear.
Sponsors and collaborators
- S.H.E.D, University of Derby
- Goethe Institut Athen, Auswaertiges-Amt
- Arts Council England
- Kalopsia Collective
- Centre for Hellenic Studies, Greece Harvard University
Publications
Russell, A. (2021) The Fundamentals of Printed Textile Design. 2nd ed. London: Bloomsbury p.53, 106 [Contribution]
Other publications (magazine contributions and exhibitions in catalogues) here