Garden Series: Yellows. Catharine Ellis, artist
The North Carolina Arboretum hosts the 2020 Growing Color Symposium Wednesday and Thursday, March 11 and 12. The conference aims to focus awareness about issues and opportunities in plant dyes and encourage a sustainable natural dye industry in Western North Carolina. All events take place at the Arboretum’s Education Center.
“The Symposium is a way of raising awareness, sharing information, inspiring further research and encouraging sustainable practices in growing, dyeing and consuming,” says the Arboretum’s Adult Education programs manager Rebecca Caldwell. “We look forward to this year’s event and expanding our mission of cultivating connections between people and plants.”
The Symposium addresses the growing demand for natural color for use in the textile, cosmetic and food industries, as well as the fact that local sources for many of these dyes are scant. Growing Color is designed for professionals in the farming, herb and textile industries and for anyone interested in the history and potential of plant-based color.
“Featured speakers for the 2020 conference cover all facets of cultivating plants for natural dyeing, including: a biodynamic approach to growing a naturally colored cotton; a modern appreciation for the wisdom of ancient traditions in producing indigo; and a whole-systems approach to building socially responsible partnerships between growers, manufacturers and consumers,” says Caldwell.
Speakers include Sarah Bellos, Rowland Ricketts, Sally Fox, Donna Hardy and Catharine Ellis. At a previous conference, Bellos, who is CEO and founder of Stony Creek Colors, presented her idea to grow and process indigo in Tennessee, partnering with farmers who formerly grew tobacco. This year, she will update on her progress. Ricketts will present his own indigo enterprise and art work, and Fox will speak on growing naturally colored fibers, presenting her research and development in naturally colored cotton. Hardy, founder of The International Center for Indigo Culture and Sea Island Indigo, will share her deep knowledge of textiles and natural dyes and the history of indigo in the South. Ellis, who co-authored The Art and Science of Natural Dyes, will draw on forty-plus years of experience as a weaver and dyer to educate audience members.
“Each Growing Color Symposium has brought in international leaders in the natural dye field who have inspired and motivated our regional community,” says Ellis. “These symposiums have made us feel that we are part of a larger, international movement, as we are.”
The North Carolina Arboretum is located at 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville. Registration for the Growing Color Symposium is available online at NCArboretum.org, by phone at 828.665.2492 and in person during regular business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday) at the Arboretum Education Center. All major credit cards are accepted. Cash and checks are also accepted with in-person registration.
