Turkey Red Journal
Dear Readers:
Welcome to the Fall 2014 edition of the Turkey Red Journal. The three articles in this publication focus on using experimentation, research and collaboration to share knowledge and creative processes. Donna Brown, Diane de Souza, and Catharine Ellis wrote an article for the TRJ in Spring 2010 (Volume 15, Issue 2) "How to Mordant Cotton–let me count the ways." Recently they have been working with working with a group of Mayan women in San Rafael, Guatemala on the Mayan Hands Project: "Tintes Naturals." In this issue, their article "Mordanting Cotton and Cellulose–Successful Methods" documents the research they did to find a cost-effective and simple way to successfully mordant cotton.
Heather Clark Hilliard, a regular contributor to the Turkey Red Journal (Vol. 15, Issue 2; Vol. 16, Issues 1 & 2), previously shared with us her exploration in starting and maintaining a natural dye garden in Oklahoma. In her current article, "Chromatopia from Collected Color," Heather has taken her collecting and dyeing on the road, mapping, collecting and dyeing as she travels across the country with her husband Ed and their dog, Butternut.
Peggy Cox, Professor of Art, and Dr. Ann Throckmorton, Professor of Biology, of Westminster College, Pennsylvania, team-taught a "cluster course" called "Art and Nature." Their article, "Color Inside Out: Art Meets Science Through Natural Dyes," describes their collaborative approach to this innovative class. We hope to have some of their students publish the results of their research projects in future issues.
Gathering and growing local dye materials is gaining in popularity in the Chicago area. I met with an enthusiastic group of students at the Lurie Garden this summer for a one-day hands-on workshop. Currently, I am teaching a local dyeing class at the Chicago Botanic Garden where students meet weekly with armfuls of flowers, leaves, barks and berries they have gathered during the week. A beginning natural dye class will be offer starting in January–check the Chicago Botanic website for more information. Two of my pieces focusing on local dyeing, "Weaving the Lurie Garden" and "Dyeing the North Park Nature Center," will be exhibited at the Chicago Cultural Center, Renaissance Court Gallery, from October 7 to November 10, 2014. Please stop by the opening reception on Thursday, October 16 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.
We have moved to an open submission policy for articles, artwork, exhibit notices and reviews for for upcoming issues. We are interested in featuring dyers from around the world, so don't hesitate to submit your ideas for articles. Send your submissions to madder@comcast.net.
Back issues of the print version of the TRJ are still available for purchase. Contact me directly for further information. Please keep sending in your thoughts and suggestions. We appreciate all your comments.
If you are not currently on the TRJ new issue notification mailing list and would like to receive notification when the new issue is online, please send an email to madder@comcast.net. Your email address will not be shared with others.
As always, a special thanks to Bob Feldman, our copy editor and webmaster for all his hard work.
Pamela FeldmanEditor and Publisher
www.pamelafeldman.com