meet dana
DANA KNISLEY-SOUTHERLAnd
she/her
Although an East Coaster at heart, Dana has stayed true to her nomadic spirit by finding her home in many places other than her native Raleigh, North Carolina. Nomad equally describes her creative and intellectual practice, not bound, but always inflected by her first home in fine arts and photography. Dana finds healing and joy in food and community, echoing the food-centric culture of love in which she was raised. With her family, she learned food as a language of love. From society, she learned rejection, loneliness, and invisibility as a child. Today, she carries these foundational experiences -and the inner child that so longed for friendship- into the lasting bonds that she has built, showing care by feeding and nourishing those in her life. These lasting relationships have taught Dana how to be vulnerable, honest, and open and to allow people to show up and hold space for her. As Dana hangs up her nomadic hat and allows her new roots to settle into the desert soils of Tucson, she is setting her intentions and focusing the whole of who she is on cultivating the foods, healing conversations, and deep connections that serve to foster the growth of a safe and supportive community among people here.
A favorite book: “Heart Talk” by Cleo Wade.
When I am feeling in a funk: I turn my sights on creating in the kitchen. I come from a family of food lovers, who love to eat as much as they love to cook. Being in the kitchen helps to ground and calm me.
A not well-known fact about me: I LOVE to make funny voices!
A favorite place to travel to: Paris, France
Something I’m learning about: I enjoy learning about various new things at once. Currently, I am diving deep into learning about the industrial agriculture industry and history of food in the U.S. While also learning about queer history, representation, and experiences in the black community.
By far the coolest hidden gem in Tucson: Barrio Bread. For those of you bread lovers out there, Barrio is the place for you to find daily, local homemade bread. It is by far one of my FAVORITE places in Tucson.