Alchemy Art: Dyeing with Fresh Leaf Indigo

A special seasonal class! This year, Mama Bird Farm is growing us some Japanese Indigo! That means that we have a rare opportunity to dye with fresh plants, which is a completely different process than traditional reduction vat indigo. Using the "salt rub method," we will dye textiles a brilliant shade of aquamarine, a totally different color than the standard shades of blue that indigo offers. Dye without any fermentation or reduction. The color possible here is like nothing else, and it can only be done when you have access to fresh plants! This is the last time this year we will be offering this class, timed in conjunction with our indigo harvest.

This class is taught by AAC staff and textile artist Katey Rissi. No prior dye experience necessary, though folks who have worked with indigo before will probably find this extra exciting!

Students will leave the class with an indigo dyed silk bandana and any natural fiber items they brought from home to dye.

This class is part of our Art + Agriculture series. Art + Agriculture classes explore the connections between art, agriculture, and ecology and the ways that these connections build a sense of place. Check out more from this series here.

This class is held at the Art Barn at the new Alchemy Art Farm at 45 Hawthorne Lane. Directions and parking information will be included in your confirmation email.

Registration: Please register early if you are able, as it helps us to ensure that classes meet their minimums in order to run! If you register more than three weeks before this class begins, a 20% early bird discount will automatically be applied to your ticket at checkout.

A Note on Ticket Pricing: We are experimenting with offering sliding-scale tickets in order to keep our classes accessible to as many community members as possible. There are three price tiers. Sustaining tickets helps us continue to invest in programming. Full-price tickets cover the costs associated with running classes. Accessibility tickets are priced below what it costs for us to run a class. If the cost of a full-price ticket is a hardship, we encourage you to purchase a sliding-scale ticket. If you can pay the full price or sustaining price, please choose that option so we can keep providing arts programming to the community.

Tuition Assistance: Tuition assistance is available for Alchemy classes and workshops if finances are a barrier. Apply for tuition assistance here.