ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
The eco-printing class will be fun and play with fresh flowers from the world around us! – feel free to bring flowers from your garden! This class will be great for creative folks, gardeners, and anyone who loves color and flowers. We ask that you stop and smell the flowers, think about color, and then smash them into beautiful silk scarves. In this class, we will go over flower gardening, sustainable foraging, and fun flower facts.
THOUGHTS ABOUT ECO-PRINTING AND DYEING:
The natural world around us is filled with beautiful mysteries. Once you have started the path of natural dye, I must warn you it will never leave your thoughts and dreams. You will probably see the world in all new shades and hues. The path of a natural dyer is one of reciprocity and love, Learning the names of plants, flowers, trees, mushrooms, and minerals of the earth. Building a relationship on respect and admiration for all the world’s gifts! I invite you to join me in exploring color and living things we might usually overlook.
In this workshop, we will be learning about the art of eco-printing and natural dye. We will set out to forage color from our gardens, kitchens, and sidewalks to our mountains and everywhere in between! Natural dye and color extraction have been a long tradition through many cultures for over 5,000 years. It’s a signifier of organ, spirituality, and value. It was one of the earliest goods to be distributed across the globe. People have started wars over the colors Blue, Purple, and Golden yellows. So, with modesty and respect, we will continue this legacy and see what colors and hues are around – You may be surprised that you can achieve the color of the rainbow from your kitchen scraps!
Students will make 1 natural dyed bandanna to take home.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR:
Riley Douglas is a community-based practitioner, artist, and advocate working at the intersection of food justice, land stewardship, and cultural resilience. They serve as the Community Garden Manager at CAC Beardsley Farm, where they lead urban agriculture initiatives, support neighborhood-driven food access efforts, and cultivate public green spaces that serve local communities.
Riley’s creative practice—rooted in natural dyes, fiber arts, and printmaking—is deeply connected to their commitment to Appalachian land-based traditions and feminist labor histories. Through their art, they explore themes of community resilience, queer identity, and ecological care. Their work uplifts intergenerational knowledge and honors the hands-on processes that sustain both the human and more then human world.
Currently pursuing a graduate degree at Future Generations University, Riley focuses on regenerative development, feminist studies of Appalachian labor movements, and the role of traditional craft in social transformation. By integrating grassroots organizing, community education, and creative practice, Riley aims to build systems of belonging, nourishment, and justice—especially within historically marginalized rural and urban communities.
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