IAC presents an opportunity for students to learn about indigo and other natural dyes

Angel Dover photo

Students and Faculty come together to learn about the creation of indigo and dyes.

In the International Arts Center (IAC), visiting artist Aaron Sanders Head held two workshops. In one, the focus was on clay-resist indigo dyeing, while the other focused on different natural dyes along with indigo.

“I think it’s pretty interesting,” said Alex Ashendorf, a senior graphic design major with a minor in marketing from Dothan, Alabama. “We had another artist come in a couple of weeks ago, and they did some of the stuff that is pretty similar with dyes, but we weren’t actually able to see them do it, we did more paper making.

“I personally like creating my own art, especially I like putting it above my desk, so this is perfect for that.”

The first workshop focused on dyeing textiles with indigo using a clay-resist that consisted of a 3:2:1 ratio of clay, gum arabic and salt. The participants were encouraged to paint designs using the clay resist on plain cotton fabric before dyeing them with indigo. The artist also showed different techniques to create designs on the fabric using rubber bands and clothespins.

“I really like the freedom that we have to design the fabric and just learning about the dyes and the different ways we can use them,” said Shania Williams, a sophomore studio art major with a concentration in photo studio from Phenix City, Alabama. “I would want to come back, so I can make all of the things I want to make and turn them blue.”

The second workshop focused on using natural dyes including indigo like madder, onion skin, marigold and black walnut. These dyes produced blue, red, yellow and brown colors on the fabric. Participants used wooden shapes, dowels, rubber bands, clothespins and different folding techniques to create unique patterns on the textiles.

The participants of these workshops were also able to see and learn some unique things about indigo, such as how the dye first appears bright green, but as it oxidizes. It turns the blue color people typically think of.

“I think that these workshops help you see your surroundings differently,” said Aaron Sanders Head, a textile artist focused on natural dyes and hand stitching as well as Artist-in-Residence at the IAC in Troy. “You’re able to see flowers, trees, nuts and things as givers of beauty.

“They can be givers of color and dyes versus just things that you see every day. I think it really makes you see your surroundings in a different light and just that it improves your outlook in different ways.”

Head is an Alabama-based artist. He grew up in rural Grady, Alabama, as well as Hope Hill, Alabama. He creates quilts and hand-stitched naturally-dyed textiles that explore rural Alabama communities. More information about Head can be found on his website aaronsandershead.com and Instagram @aaronsandershead.

“All the work I do is about some form of community building so we can keep getting people together and gathering them together in different ways, and I think these workshops are a great way of doing that,” Head said. “You’re sharing stories, and you’re telling people different things you don’t know about, so it’s an interesting way of learning a lot more than just what the media is focused on.”

For more information about events like these, follow the Troy Art and Design Department’s Instagram @troy_art_and_design.