WORKSHOPS
HOSTED AND FACILITATED BY THE RISD NATURE LAB
(13 Waterman St, Providence, RI 02903)
Each semester, we put on several workshops and events for students. We advertise workshops through our newsletter, blog and instagram. Since REC’s first workshops in 2021, we learned a LOT about organization, what works and what needs to change, and how thirsty you all are for education around plants! We put on workshops about indigo, flax, bundle dyes, soil health, wool, and we have SO many more ideas in store. Our workshops are completely free, and open to all students from RISD and the surrounding community. If you would like to bring us in to give a demo to a class, let us know!
FLAX
REC Event coordinator, Abbey Foreman, led the flax processing and spinning workshop using the beautiful flax grown at the plot over the summer! Prepping the flax to be spun has been a long but very rewarding process, as seen in our last newsletter, and each attendee got to break, scutch, hackle and spin their own flax, turning the amazing fiber into linen yarn! All of the flax boon (waste material) will contribute to the garden as brown matter in our compost!
INDIGO VAT
The Indigo has been processed! What started as a seed grew into a lovely bed of healthy indigo, was then picked, fermented in buckets, reduced, strained, and dried by our summer managers before being stored away for the colder months. In the last days of spring we host a garden indigo night where students bring clothes and textiles to dye. It’s usually the most attended event of the year!
FRESH LEAF INDIGO DYING
After two harvests of indigo for fermentation and pigment making, we decided to try some fresh-leaf dying with the indigo we’re letting go to seed. After blending, straining and soaking cotton fabrics and yarns in the mixture, REC members added smashed flowers and berries to test out their vibrant stains! Indigo always brings a lot of excitement to the plot!
SEAWEED DYING
A huge thanks to the nature lab and Sashoonya for hosting and teaching this incredible workshop! Participamts learned how to responsibly forage seaweed and other coastal dwelling plants, and make vibrant eco-print bundle dyes on silk. There were laughs and lovely conversations. Thanks to eveyone who came out!
WOOL
Our two wonderful wool enthusiasts, Abbey Foreman (TX 25) and Clara Peterson (TX 25) led a three part workshop series where participants learned how to wash, skirt, card, spin, and finally naturally dye wool! It was a joy bringing students from all departments into the wonders of natural fibers. We were also lucky enough to be joined by two experts from the Rhode Island Spinners Guild! Sandy and Sharon brought their years of experience working with wool and processing raw fibers into textiles, as well as some amazing fiber processing tools we wouldn’t have had access to without them.
FRESH GARDEN PASTA NIGHT
To celebrate the end of the harvest season, REC community members gathered at the RISD Multicultural Center to prepare a homemade feast! We kneaded pasta dough from scratch, added in layers of garden herbs into the dough, and served the pasta with a tomato, tomatillo and basil sauce. We look forward to more heartworming events that bring people together over food and excitement for regenerative projects!
SEED STARTING DAYS
Thank you to everyone who came out to help start seeds for spring and summer of 2024! We hold around 3 seed starting days each year in late winter and early spring. All RISD students are welcome to join and to suggest new plants for the garden. This year we are lucky enough to be able to use our brand new greenhouse to keep the seeds warm!
PAINT AND PIGMENT MAKING
Students learned about how to turn a dye into a pigment (a process called laking), and how to turn those pigments into different forms of paint! We got to see some chemistry in action and to sample different pigments made from foraged, purchased, and farmed pigments.