Celebrating the visual languages of PEOPLE, COMMUNITY, CULTURE, and ENVIRONMENT through the global practice of resist-dye traditions and innovations, keeping in mind authenticity, reciprocity, and networking.
Growing Color – Natural Dyes from Plants Symposium will be hosted by The North Carolina Arboretum in conjunction with Local Cloth with the purpose of bringing awareness about issues and opportunities in plant dyes in order to encourage a sustainable natural dye industry.
Where: The North Carolina Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, NC 28806-9315
When: November 5, 2016
Timing: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Admission: Early Bird Registration (before October 1): $60 Member / $65 Non-Member | Registration Fee (after October 1): $70 Member/$75 Non-Member | Visit here to register.
There is a growing demand for natural dyes for use in the textile, cosmetic and food industries. This conference is for professionals in the farming, herb and textile industries and anyone interested in the fascinating history and potential of natural plant-based dyes.
WSN Member and woven shibori extraordinaire Catherine Ellis, is a featured speaker at the event, where she will provide an introduction to natural dyeing processes. In addition to presentations, the symposium will feature vendors, demonstrations and exhibits. More information about the symposium available here.
About The North Carolina Arboretum
The Arboretum was established in 1986 by The North Carolina General Assembly to serve as a statewide and national resource almost one hundred years after Frederick Law Olmsted, the Father of American Landscape Architecture, completed the landscape design for his last project at nearby Biltmore Estate. The North Carolina Arboretum’s mission is to cultivate connections between people and plants through creative expressions of landscape stewardship, including: conservation, education, garden demonstration, research and economic development.
About Catherine Ellis
Catharine Ellis has been a weaver and dyer for more than 40 years. After three decades of teaching in the fiber program at Haywood Community College, she is now dedicated to studio work, focusing on natural dye processes and teaching in both the United States and internationally. Recent projects include teaching natural dyeing in Guatemala through Mayan Hands. She is the author of “Woven Shibori” now in its second edition.
Catherine Ellis (left) with textile chemist Joy Boutrop
Photo Credit : Catherine Ellis, The North Carolina Arboretum