Shana Cruz-Thompson is an experimental photographer and mixed media artist from Whittier, CA, now raising her family in Aurora, CO. For nearly three decades, photography has been her conduit to self-discovery and the understanding of human nature's intricacies. Often engaging with personal archives, her work explores memory function, nostalgia, and complex psychological dynamics.
Shana holds a BFA in photography from the University of Colorado Denver, graduating with a 3.985 GPA in 2021 (yes, that one A-minus irks her). In 2019 she was awarded the CAM Dean's Student Innovation Award for Collaborative Research and Creative and Scholarly Work for Vintage Mixed Lot 8mm Home Movies.
Passionate about community outreach, Shana is the founder and director of Project Photo Op, a burgeoning nonprofit organization that seeks to empower youth through photography workshops, mentorships, and exhibitions. As the creator and curator of Vigilante Darkroom Zine, she highlights women working in analog, experimental, and alternative photographic processes through interviews, features, and collaborative projects. A self-proclaimed photography über-nerd, she is a contributing writer for Analog Forever Magazine, and is working on curatorial projects for 2023.