Shanna Strauss is a Tanzanian-American mixed media artist and printmaker based in Oakland, California, on Huchiun, unceded Ohlone territory. Raised in Tanzania, Shanna’s practice is rooted in storytelling and the histories, objects, and cultural traditions passed down through generations. She works in printmaking and mixed media, using wood, textiles, found materials, photography, and other objects to tell stories about family, inherited traditions, and the experiences of Black women and women of color.

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Shanna earned a BFA from the California College of the Arts and an MSW from McGill University. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, including at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, de Young Museum, Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair and Sydney Contemporary. Her work is held in the collections of the Library of Congress, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, North Dakota Museum of Art, San Francisco International Airport, McGill University, and other public and private collections.

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Shanna has received the Kala Printmaking Fellowship, Prix Powerhouse from La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse, the Denbo Publishing Fellowship from Pyramid Atlantic, and the Bay Area Culture Keepers Award. She currently teaches printmaking at San Francisco State University.