Workshop
August 3, 2023
10am-3pm
Bearsville, NY
Natural Colors with Julia Norton
In this workshop, we will learn how earth and vegetation from the landscape can be responsibly harvested to produce pigments for art-making. In artist and designer Anni Albers’s seminal 1965 text On Weaving, she refers to “Tactile Sensibility” as the way in which “we touch things to assure ourselves of reality.” With Julia’s guidance, we will engage our own “tactile sensibilities'' by exploring natural materials that are local to the Hudson Valley region. By touching and learning how to extract color from plants, soil, and other findings from the natural world—and by playing with them as art materials—we will approach these natural resources as creative collaborators in our art making. We will leave with inspiration and supplies collected from the landscape, pigments derived from the earth, and cloth dyed with plants gathered from the surrounding area.
Julia Norton is a multidisciplinary artist and educator. In her art practice, research, and education work she explores the unique qualities and legacies of natural color materials - such as ochres, mineral pigments, and plant-based inks and dyes. She holds an MFA from SUNY Purchase and an Ed.M from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has exhibited at galleries such as Lyles & King and The Wassaic Project, and has participated in residencies at The Wassaic Project, Cooper Union, Mass MoCA, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (BC, Canada), SIM Residency (Reykjavik, Iceland), and Pocoapoco (Oaxaca, Mexico). She has worked as an educator at New Museum, Pioneer Works, Swiss Institute, Abrons Art Center, Dia:Beacon, and Harvard Art Museums.
Founded by Deb Johnson, a thought leader in sustainable design, The Swimming Hole Foundation invites groups of creative practitioners to work together on transformative projects at a site surrounded by 3500-acres of preserved land with expansive views of the northern Catskills. Operating with the belief that cooperative endeavors contain the potential for paradigm change, the Swimming Hole leverages the power of collaboration to crack open existing approaches and expose new pathways and models for artists to achieve innovative work.
River Valley Arts Collective is offering this workshop free of charge and it is specifically designed for Hudson Valley based artists. Lunch, materials, supplies, and tools will be provided.
Because space is extremely limited, we cannot accommodate group RSVPs. If you are interested in participating in this Natural Colors Workshop, please email info@rvacollective.org with “Natural Colors” in the subject line.
RSVPs received after we reach capacity will automatically be added to a wait list. Confirmed participants will be contacted with additional information about workshop location, lunch options, and any other pertinent details.
