Jenna Ross is a Massachusetts based craftsperson working with a variety of mediums in both two and three dimensions. Born in Springfield Massachusetts, Ross attended Pope Francis Preparatory where she worked as head set designer and maker for the school’s theatre productions. This time led to a lifelong interest in working with both dimensions, often working with coinciding both elements in a shared space, like that of a theater’s stage.

Ross attended undergrad at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston Mass, majoring in Fibers. While having little prior fibers experience, Ross was drawn to the department for its compelling texture and the intimacy of the material to the body. The process of the physicality of craft making is important to her.

Ross went on to learn weaving and punch rug techniques which she uses to expand her love of drawing and anatomy to the fibers craft. Despite being drawn to three dimensions and sculptural elements, Ross is deeply entwined with her passion of line and movement from years of drawing and painting. She relies heavily on her sketching process to propel her work.

Ross is currently attending The University of Iowa pursuing a masters degree in Book Arts as well as Information Science. She is drawn to the pursuit of preservation both in physical and digital media. She aspires to bring her undergraduate training in the arts into a more historical context and to look at the field of information from a craftsmen perspective.

I’ve always considered myself a student of line. Line, as in that simple presence that manifests itself in every aspect of the world. Through line, I understand the world around me, seeing everything as simple elements. All existence in its purest form, is just a line. And it is this simplicity of line that grants it the ability to become complex, to be art.