Dana Henry Martin

Mental Health

  • Wonder

    I guess what I want to say about land is that it continues even after we’ve left it, even after… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–4 minutes

  • Howard Dully

    Here’s what could get you lobotomized at the age of 12 in 1960 here in the United States: not reacting… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • The Architecture of Mental Illness

    Mental illness has an architecture. That’s part of the story of asylums and treatment in this country. Central State Griffin… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • The Order

    I want to talk about the concentration camp being built in Utah, where I live, that will warehouse people who… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • Frictions

    “Nothing about us without us.” That’s a guiding principle in the disability-rights movement. It applies to the mental-health justice and… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    5–8 minutes

  • One of Them

    When I was in the hospital in Colorado, I saw a young man, only nineteen years old, almost die by… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    7–10 minutes

  • The House

    The house has been doused with gasoline. (You’re welcome in it.) The floor of the house is littered with matches.… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 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

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.