Friday Fibers Roundup: Craft & Color

June 14, 2019

This edition of Friday Fibers Roundup looks at the history of various color and how many professional craftspeople are making work with bright and vibrant hues.

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1) “Indigo, Ash, and Time mark Nigeria’s Centuries-old Dye Pits” by Cara Anna looks at how the dye pits in Nigeria’s ancient northern city of Kano are said to be the last ones of their kind after five centuries of existence (via AP News).

2) “Fabric Dyeing with Algae: A Watery New Frontier” by Aina S. Erice spotlights different natural dyes that all come from the sea (via The Plant Hunter).

3) “A Conversation on Indigenous Craft and Design with Jeffrey Gibson” by Deena ElGenaidi joins Glenn Adamson and Julia Bryan-Wilson for a discussion on Jeffrey Gibson’s Indigenous craft techniques (via Hyperallergic).

4) “The History of the Color Red: From Ancient Paintings to Louboutin Shoes” by Jessica Stewart features the history of the color red and its significance for cultures around the world (via My Modern Met).

5) This interesting video “Naturally Dying Kimono With Mud” is about an unusual dye technique for kimono (via Explore Fiber).

6) “Cultural Identity Seen Through the Politics of Thread” by Lizzy Vartanian Collier examines the work of photographer Alia Ali and she communicated with textile artists who live in communities whose borders have been marked “by imprints of power and scars of destruction” (via Hyperallergic).

7) “Keeping the Art of Knot Tying Alive” by Eric Grundhauser looks at how a guild of knotters won’t let this historic craft die (via Atlas Obscura).

8) “Denver’s airport needs new art, and they’ll pay up to $4 million for it” calls out to local artists to submit ideas for public art (via Bizjournals).

9) “State of the Arts: Nick Cave’s Sound Suits Come to Life in Akron This Weekend” by Mark Arehart features how you can see his signature sound suits made from thousands of household objects in Akron (via WKSU).

10) “Take This Pantone ‘Color IQ Test’ to Find Out Your Level of Color Vision” by Emma Taggart looks at how the world-renowned color factory evaluates a person’s level of color vision, with a fun online Color IQ Test that challenges your ability to distinguish swatches of similar shades (via My Modern Met).