Description
During this 4-night workshop, participants will learn how to process wool from local Great Basin sheep and forage natural dyes from the high desert Summer Lake landscape. We will begin the workshop by harvesting natural dye materials from the PLAYA land. Once our dye pots are simmering, we will visit a farm in Paisley, OR to meet the ranchers and sheep our wool came from and discuss how to source local wool. There will be an optional educational hike into Fremont National Forest, learning how to judge native from non-native plants. On Saturday, we will heat-set our dyed fiber, and practice carding and spinning wool. The workshop will conclude with lessons in wet felting and needle felting projects with our finished wool.
This workshop will teach the basics of: wool sourcing, mordanting, dyeing, carding, spinning, and felting, and the ethics and methods of foraging natural dye materials.. Participants will leave with the skills to seek local wool from their home regions, process wool and investigate natural dyes wherever they go.
Details and Agenda
Instructor: Ivy Guild
Dates: Thursday, May 8 – Monday, May 12, 2025
Arrival: Thursday, May 8, 2025
Departure: Monday, May 12, 2025
Skill Level: All skill levels welcome
Mobility Level: Most levels of mobility can participate in the workshop. There is an optional hike that is medium/intermediate level. Manual mobility/dexterity is necessary.
Materials List to Bring:
- Closed toed shoes
- Pruning shears
- Yard gloves
- Sun hat
Materials Provided by Instructor:
- Raw wool
- Alum, copper, and iron mordant materials
- Wet felting materials (bubble wrap, soap, spray bottles, etc.)
Instructor Bio
Ivy Guild, a Reno-based artist, received her MFA in Studio Art from the University of California, Irvine in 2021. A native to the desert, Guild was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, and moved to San Diego in 2012 to pursue a degree in Marine Biology. Four years later, she graduated with dual degrees in Visual Arts and Art History. Guild channels her medical history, climate change pre-PTSD, and scientific research interests into her artwork. She immerses herself in queer ecologies of a post-human world, searching for environmental justice in anthropomorphic vignettes. Solastalgia propels her to keep shaping sanctuaries and evolved beings that thrive amidst human detritus. Guild considers herself amoebic in her continuous adoption of new art mediums, often hybridizing analog and digital practices. She has a penchant for collecting remnants and scavenging raw natural materials. Her work manifests in multimedia installations that merge organic and inorganic materials. Guild’s recent work engages fiber practices centered on natural dye research, and biological mimicry of desert dwellers such as insects, cacti, and geological formations. By anthropomorphizing the speculative creatures of environments yet to come, Guild hopes to engender empathy for the natural world. Ivy Guild is an Assistant Teaching Professor and area head for Visual Foundations in the Department of Art, Art History and Design at the University of Nevada, Reno. www.ivyguildart.com
Agenda
Day 1 – Arrival Day // Thursday, May 8
1:00 – 4:00 pm: Arrival
6:00 pm: Meet and Greet (BYOB and snacks)
Day 2 // Friday, May 9
9:00 am – 12:00 pm: Forage dye materials on PLAYA campus, run dye pots
1:30 – 3:00 pm: Visit Paisley farm to meet owners and sheep
6:00 pm: Group dinner provided by PLAYA
Day 3 // Saturday, May 10
9:00 am – 12:00 pm: Rinse wool & put out to dry, learn to card and spin wool
1:00 – 4:00 pm: Independent studio time
4:00 – 6:30 pm (optional): Punchbowl hike (4 miles round-trip)
Day 4 // Sunday, May 11
9:00 am – 12:00 pm: How to wet felt and needle felt dyed wool
2:00 – 5:00 pm: Independent studio time
Evening: Group share
Day 5 – Departure Day // Monday, May 12
Depart by 12:00 pm