Dana Henry Martin

Dana Henry Martin

  • Wings and Air

    Leaves from our red oak appliqué the lawn. The fall-blooming plants have lost their flowers, save for two azaleas. Butterflies… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • Ordinary Birds

    I am fascinated by ordinary birds. All afternoon, two downy woodpeckers danced up and down the sweet gum tree. Sprinklers… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • Sewage Creek

    I came home to a downy woodpecker, a chipmunk, and a baby bunny. They were all in the yard together.… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • Pollinators

    Atop his favorite granite stone, my dearest chipmunk surveys his territory. There’s time to take it all in before the… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • Moon-Suns

    The air is screaming, Hawk! Hawk! Hawk! Hay bales settle into the shorn field. I’ve been lost in a world… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • Tack Coat

    The tack coat of dawn gives way to the scumble of morning. Dawn. Hot pink rubbed over midnight blue. Sudden… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • The Loneliness of Recovery

    I used to think to be not alone meant / never having to walk through the high wheat / or… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    6–9 minutes

  • Trauma as Mineralized Body

    If you cannot find it in your own body, where will you go in search of it? — The Upanishads… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    3–4 minutes

  • Throwing Roses into the Abyss

    Throw roses into the abyss and say: “Here is my thanks to the monster who didn’t succeed in swallowing me… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • Nobler Animals

    The bird you can hear is the one who has the sweetest song. Earlier, I saw a heron flying and… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

PROCESS

  • Map and Research: Investigate the historical, geological, and ecological context of each collection site or reverse the direction, mapping sites based on ancestral and historical narratives.
  • Forage: Gather natural materials ethically, respectfully, and with permission.
  • Transform: Process foraged materials into custom mediums and physical resources for art-making.
  • Weave: Track the stories held within the land, braiding personal, ancestral, and ecological histories.
  • Create: Generate studies and finished artwork informed by the sites and physically composed of the materials collected.

  • Limits: Not all sites will be safe or accessible, which means some spaces cannot be entered, and some stories will remain incomplete. An empty container can signify these omissions.

purpose

ethics

Responsible Exploration: Committing to mindful presence, permission-based foraging, and minimal-impact exploration on every site.

Meaning

Embodied Storytelling: Engaging in sensory, place-based creation that connects the maker and viewer to the specific location and to the physical earth.

Reclamation: Unearthing and honoring lost, fractured, or overlooked histories embedded in the landscape.

Material Transformation: Celebrating the alchemy of turning raw, gathered earth into tangible, expressive art.

community

Public Education: Sharing the ecological and historical narratives of the sites to foster a deeper collective awareness.

Active Participation: Creating opportunities for community participation, engagement, and shared connection through the work.