No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service
Artist Statement
My current research and work involves explorations in visual art and creative writing largely concerned with investments that transform geographic spaces into personal places. This includes, for example, unfamiliar space becoming intimate or familiar; single locations endowed with multiple meanings by different people or communities; or the way place is bestowed with power and presence. I am interested both in transforming space in order to challenge viewers to recognize the specificity of a location, and in recording elements of a place to create a physical memory that draws attention to how precious, potent, and tentative a relationship is between a particular location and situation.
This wood cut print series was created in response to a writing workshop at a youth shelter in Houston, Texas, conceived of and organized by JP Gritton. I had the pleasure of working on the project as an editor and artist. In addition to being homeless during the time of the workshop, the members of the workshop (who were all under the age of twenty-two) were students, employees, apprentices, artists, dog-lovers, gardeners, athletes, and experts in many things. My engagement with the workshop inspired this collection of prints that consider who and what is noticed, named, and generally acknowledged in public settings, and who and what becomes invisible.
Dana Kroos is a creative writer, visual artist, and instructor. Her work is often interdisciplinary or done in collaboration with other artists and groups, and works explore the importance of environments and communities (natural, historic, political, social, and cultural) that can at once be empowering and alienating. Dana received an MFA in ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design and a MA in studio art from Purdue University. She also holds an MFA in fiction writing from New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. in creative writing and literature from the University of Houston. Her visual work has been exhibited around the U.S and abroad. Links to projects can be found at www.danakroos.com.
