A Patch of Blue

Time to catch up just a bit. On Tuesday, I went to the Textile Museum (they have museums here for everything!) to see an exhibit titled Blue. The exhibit starts out with a historical section and finishes with the works of five contemporary artists who use natural indigo dyes.

There is a 15-minute segment of a "documentary-in-the-making." The documentary is about the process of making blue dye from the indigo plant and showed two different methods (from two different parts of the world). I don't know much of anything about natural dyes and the dyeing process, but apparently using indigo is a challenge. Because of this, in many cultures blue-patterned cloth was reserved for people of status. In India, the dyes were of such quality that their textiles were used as currency for more than 500 years. In a part of Indonesia the process was kept secret and known only to a privileged family. Indigo plantations thrived in tropical climates and some even used slave labor.

Synthetic dyes became available about a hundred years ago and the demand for natural indigo dropped making indigo farming no longer profitable. With today's push to "go green" the use of natural dyes is becoming more popular. The artists in the exhibit explore traditional methods of indigo farming and dyeing.

Makes me want to go play with my collection of blue and white fabrics. But I can't. They're in Albuquerque. Sigh.