Dana Henry Martin

Ephemera

  • 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

  • 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

  • Bulk Bin

    I am overeating bulk bin item #6431 from Sprouts. 4:52 p.m. and my monitor has already gone into night mode.… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    5–8 minutes

  • Microchimeras

    The color of the branches depends on the color of the sky. Dreamed I was selling replacement parts for a… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • Ini K’ani

    I spent part of the afternoon with a downy woodpecker. I had a dream about two secret words. I held… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    3–5 minutes

  • Sound, Sense, Story, Song

    I read poems four ways: as sound, as sense, as story, as song. As a poet, you can either have… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • The Ability to See

    Reading poetry is less about the ability to read than the ability to see. You can’t burn a bridge that… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–4 minutes

  • No Self in Other

    A walk along Mill Creek this morning revealed chokeberries, elderberries, blackberries, cherries and apples. Nothing like getting a free cremation… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • Desire, Need and Love

    Gmail just suggested I change “bodhisattvas” to “bedsheets.” Really, Gmail? My sentence would have read: Bedsheets were placed on this… 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.