top of page

The Artful Science of Dye Making as Part of Getty’s PST Art



Although it doesn’t officially open until September 14, public facing activities as part of The Getty’s PST Art: Art and Science Collide are beginning. Interestingly, the current exhibition at the Fowler Museum at UCLA showcases the ancient art of dye making as does our PST entry, We Are The Harvest.  On August 3 at Willowbrook Art Hop, you’ll be able to connect to the work coming out of this project.  



Last Saturday, the Fowler Museum at UCLA along with the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara opened their show Sangre de Nopal/Blood of the Nopal: Tanya Aguiñiga & Porfirio Gutiérrez en Conversación/in Conversation showcasing the work, respectively, of the Los Angeles-based artist, designer, and craftsperson, and the Ventura-based Zapotec textile artist and natural dyer.  This festive event featured a live performance by Filarmónica Maqueos Music in the spirit of Guelaguetza, the Zapotec word for offering or reciprocity. It was so much fun to dance to their music as a complement to viewing the exceptionally beautiful show of works demonstrating the luminous beauty of dyes made from cochineal insects which live on Nopal plants, and other natural materials.


We Are The Harvest, our community engagement project as part of PST Art, recently wrapped up a natural dye workshop series at Willowbrook Community Garden, SCOPE and Fremont Healthy Culture Hub. Our dye artist, Michelle Glass, is piecing together the community-dyed pockets to create our interactive tapestry, which will travel to sites including Crenshaw Dairy Mart and Mercado La Paloma throughout the fall and winter.  The project is involving community members in agricultural education, community gardens, and urban farms through the dye making workshops, storytelling events and a digital map developed by Artist Terrick Gutierrez that links people to important sites for accessing garden space and locally grown food in South LA.  We look forward to celebrating this project with you on August 3 in Willowbrook.


In the fall, LA Commons will collaborate with the Fowler Museum to present a conversation with the artists from both projects discussing the powerful process of working with natural dyes, bringing beauty and self determination to communities on both sides of the border as they reclaim their ancestral legacy in learning and sharing this craft.


Stay Tuned For More Art Workshops And Community Events!


24 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page