Local Color was a year-long study of natural dye plants grown and foraged in Detroit, Michigan. The colors that come from the roots, bark, leaves, and seeds of native and invasive plants represent a seasonally and geographically unique palette. This project was an exploration of a relationship to place, a celebration of abundance, a practice in land stewardship, and an expression of what it means to be a naturalist in an urban environment. Local Color, funded by a Knight Art Grant, culminated in a series of 12 naturally dyed handwoven tapestries displayed on The Dequindre Cut in September 2020 and was included in Detroit Month of Design.
Many thanks to Jacob Martinez and Kate Bickel who assisted in every stage of the project. To Malik Yakini, Diana Nucera, Ollie, and Julia Griffin for sharing the plants cultivated in their gardens. Thank you to the stewards of this land - past, present, and future for planting trees, sowing seeds, and protecting the wild spaces. I’m grateful to the generations of artists in they city who have made Detroit the fertile, generative place that it is today.
