Tanya Crane
I take two approaches to story telling in my work. First, I interview living relatives and incorporate their stories through either direct translation in enamel or interpretation. Second, I choose specific materials, such as natural reeds to convey and represent my family’s history in America since enslavement. These materials hold meaning and I hope to give both my relatives and the materials their due acknowledgement.
Tanya Crane is a multi-disciplinary artist working mainly within the context of jewelry and sculpture for the body. She is an Assistant Professor in 3DFoundations + Jewelry + Sculpture at Long Beach City College. Craft has become a bridge between her artistic practice and her dedication to serving communities through education and active involvement. Crane was the 2024 winner of a United States Artist Fellowship. She was a 2023 Artist in Residence at Hewnoaks in Lovell, Maine, and a 2022 Artist in Residence at Indigo Arts Alliance in Portland, Maine. In 2018, Crane exhibited her work in a solo exhibition at the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Her work is part of many prestigious collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Racine Arts Museum, Stewart Program for Modern Design in Montreal, Canada, Yale University Art Gallery, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Crocker Museum, and the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.
