Wildlife Gardening: My Indigo World Recap
Did you know that you could use indigo plants to make a sustainable blue dye?
Last month we explored natural dyeing techniques at our My Indigo World workshop with local multi-disciplinary artist Rosa Chang! We enjoyed a fun-filled morning of designing, dipping, and drying our own unique works of textile art in at Rash Field Park.
Using a little soy paste resist and some fun stencils, attendees dyed a variety of designs onto fabric squares, and hung them to dry on a “World Peace Line” to symbolize collective hope for unity and peace! Each participant dyed two squares, one for them to take home with them, and another to add to the community quilt that Rosa will be making as a fundraiser to support youth studying ecology and sustainability.
In her interview, Rosa discusses the history of dyeing and the importance of art in community engagement. Rosa specializes in visual and fiber arts. Through her work, she explores the sustainable relationship between humans and nature, incorporating traditional Korean and Asian indigo dyeing techniques as a form of cultural exchange.
In the upcoming phase of Rash Field Park we will be growing native and Korean indigo plants to support biodiversity, as well as create a '“dye garden” that will be a space to harvest natural indigo plants to continue to support the art of sustainable dye making.
