The art of earth dyeing with Aunty Vicki West

Image: QVMAG

In the lead up to International Women’s Day on March 8, locals have enjoyed intimate workshop sessions with QVMAG Aboriginal Learning Facilitator Aunty Vicki West at the Museum at Inveresk.  

With each workshop sharing various colour dyeing techniques using plants, participants worked to create personalised, unique silk scarf designs while being inspired to make use of the sustainable cultural resources around them.  

With three workshops offered across February and March, all final creations will soon be celebrated and showcases at the upcoming free, community morning tea on International Women’s Day at QVMAG.  

Aunty Vicki said the workshop series offered the opportunity for participants to learn various techniques when it comes to dyeing materials with plants.  

“As part of this workshop series, participants learnt about different natural plants, barks and leaves, and how they give differing colour,” West said.   

“I use aluminium pots, with either iron or copper sheet as the mordant which is crucial to the natural dye process; instead of using powder mordant which are very toxic in its powder state. Mordants act as a binding agent to help dyes to adhere to fabric and can also affect vibrancy, helping to determine the outcome of colour.   

"Workshop participants have also learnt different ways of folding, wrapping, stitching and layering plants to achieve different affects to the overall process.”  

Image: QVMAG

Creative Arts and Cultural Services General Manager Shane Fitzgerald said the workshop series offered an opportunity for connection and knowledge sharing within the community.  

“This popular booked-out workshop series offered a great experience for community members to gather, share and celebrate International Women’s Day 2024 at QVMAG,” Fitzgerald said.  

“Our free community morning tea on March 8 at the Museum at Inveresk will be a brilliant opportunity for all participants of our International Women’s Day program series, and members of our community, to come together and explore what has been created.  

“Our popular program for 2024 has spanned artist-led workshops to develop a community re-creation of Vera Zulimovski's work entitled The Recluse, alongside this silk scarf dyeing workshop with Aunty Vicki. It’s been great to see such a high level of engagement with this year’s programming.” 

Artist-led workshops as part of the International Women’s Day 2024 program at QVMAG included guest hosts Mae Finlayson, Charlyse Greeno, Vicki Dewsbury, Daria Andrews and Katie Barron. 

Community members are invited to join the upcoming community morning tea for International Women’s Day at 10.30am on March 8 at the Museum at Inveresk (2 Invermay Road, Launceston), with registrations available via www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/Events

Image: QVMAG

Issued Thursday 29 February 2024.