Dana Henry Martin

Family

  • Loosening Our Ties

    My father had a tiger’s eye bolo that I loved. I wore it in grade school when we reenacted the… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • Realms Beautiful and Terrifying

    Awake is my least favorite word when I don’t want to be. Our water purifier started making a high-pitched noise… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • Wildness

    Wildness is one of those words that looks like it’s missing a letter. I want another d or n. Something.… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • Morning Prayer September 16, 2024

    Trees don’t move in the wind. They’re moved by the wind, the way we all react to unseen forces, unseen… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    3–5 minutes

  • Exploding and Floating

    A turkey vulture glides over the creek, wings bent, head down. Fist-shaped clouds fill the sky. Am I the only… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • Boxcar Mama

    My mother was named after a vaudeville dancer and circus performer. That performer also had a Pullman boxcar named after… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • The Dance Magazine, 1928

    This page from The Dance Magazine, dated July 1928, features Mignon Laird. She was one of the dancers at the… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • Headrick, Oklahoma

    My family on my mother’s side. 1. My great-grandparents, Jesse and Sarah. 2. My grandfather, my great-grandfather, and horses. 3.… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • On Writing, Poetry, Health, Trauma, Surviving, and Lucid Dreams

    This essay was written on Twitter throughout the day on January 1, 2023. — I’m drafting a new essay here… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    10–15 minutes

  • Baubles

    Robin, by John James Audubon. Image used in accordance with U.S. public domain laws. This time of year, American robins… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    7–10 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.