Kibibi Ajanku The Baltimore arts community was the platform that nurtured Kibibi Ajanku’s passion for the arts, beginning an artistic journey that led to the exploration, execution, and deep passion for ethnically charged art forms. Ajanku believes that when presented properly, art is the perfect vehicle for increased intercultural understanding. To that end, Ajanku is a senior staff member of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance where her primary responsibility is the forwarding of equity and inclusion through the management of the Urban Arts Leadership, as well as other initiatives. Ajanku is a faculty member at Coppin State University. She attended Morgan State University and received her MFA in Curatorial Practice from Maryland Institute College of Art. For more information, follow @kibibiajanku on instagram
Yemisi Ajayi has won a reputation as an innovative textile artist working within the realm of traditional Yoruba cloth, motifs and dying. She is also a teacher of batik, adire (starch resist), dye method and Yoruba patchwork quilting. She is also a cultural entrepreneur. A native of Lagos, with family roots in the Ijebu region of southwest Nigeria, Yemisi began her career as a textile artist in 1989 in Oshogbo Striking out on her own in 1992, Yemisi has had broad success in the areas of natural dyeing, quilting, textile design, and interior decorating. She maintains a studio and collaborates widely with Nigeria's many talented visual artists. She first trained at Oshogbo Art School and then received her Diploma in Creative Arts at the Centre for Cultural Studies at the University of Lagos. She started exhibiting her works since 1991 in Nigeria; she has exhibited works in several international shows over the past years. She has been teaching textile classes since 1992, has given lectures and has held workshops in Nigeria, Mali, USA, Indonesia, and Malaysia. For more, follow @yemisi364 on instagram.
Rosa Chang is a Rosa Chang is a Korean-born visual artist and is a senior advisor for the Natural Dye Initiative at the Maryland State Arts Council. Rosa works as a liaison between project partners including Maryland state agencies and the Natural Dye Cultural Center in Naju, South Korea. Rosa has worked as an apprentice dyer at Buaisou Brooklyn, a Japanese traditional indigo dye artisanal studio with a main studio and farm located in Tokushima, Japan, and has experience in growing Japanese indigo plants. This work led her to submit a proposal for "Urban farming Japanese indigo plants on abandoned lots in Baltimore City for the Community Development and Revitalization," which was nominated as a semi-finalist for the Fullbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship in 2017. Rosa's relationship with the Natural Dye Cultural Center in Naju, South Korea, her previous experiences and studies as a natural dyer/grower motivated her work on this project to establish a natural dye garden in Baltimore. Rosa is hoping to see the natural dye garden become a healing, joyful, and inspirational place for people in the Baltimore City community. Rosa is a graduate of MICA (Illustration '11) and received her MFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York, NY.
조미숙 (Cho, Mi Sook) earned her Bachelor degree in Fashion Industry at Ehwa Womans University. Cho learned Korean natural dyeing from dye masters Lee Na Kyung and Kim Jeong Hwa. She studied Korean traditional clothing at Ehwa Graduate School and earned a master's degree. Since 1999 she has developed a program to educate diverse students about the social, historic, and cultural meaning of color, the message of change that nature delivers, the peace that handwork provides, and the interaction the practice provides with other people. Since 2004, Dr. Cho has been participating in a project to reproduce excavated costumes and books, traditional color reconstruction, and restoring natural dyeing artifacts. She published the book ‘Unique Color Story - Natural Dyeing that Finds Your Color in Ourselves (색다른 색이야기 – 우리 안의 색을 찾는 천연염색)’ in 2007. The book was selected as an educational book of the year by Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Arianne King Comer of North Charleston, SC is a BFA graduate of Howard University, Independent Studies in Textiles at the College of /Creative Studies in Detroit, MI and The Academy of Arts at Cranbrook in Bloomington, MI. In 1992, Arianne received the UN/USIS grant to study under her mentor, Nike Davies Okundaye in Oshogbo, Nigeria. She is a Resident Artist through the SC Art Commission and the Lynden Sculpture Garden in Milwaukee, WI. In Jan. 2007, she joined Charleston Rhizome Collective to the World Social Forum to conduct a batik/indigo workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. Arianne has been featured in documentaries and design segments for PBS, Home and Garden TV, and publications. Arianne created a collection of wearable art for the Smithsonian African American Museum store debuting September 2016. Since 2017, Arianne has been a board member of the International Center of Indigo Culture in Charleston, SC. For more information, visit: www.ariannekingcomerart.com
허북구(Heo, Buk-Gu) has been working as an educator, researcher, and artist focusing on Korean traditional paper flower making in Korea. He earned both his Master’s degree and Ph.D in Agriculture from Mokpo National University in Mokpo, South Korea. He is Chief of the Management Bureau of the Naju-si Natural Dyeing Cultural Foundation, the management of the Natural Dyeing Cultural Center, and a faculty in the Horticulture Department at Wonkwang University. As one of representative researchers in Korean traditional natural dye, craft, and horticulture, Dr. Heo’s research has been published in over 105 publications, he has authored more than 325 research papers, news columns and magazines, published in South Korea. His paper flower arts have been exhibited in Korea and Taiwan.
Amy DuFault is a seasoned sustainable fashion journalist of 13 years writing about human rights and environmental issues for The Guardian, Fashionista, Taproot Magazine and other publications. A passionate natural dyer, she has been Sustainability Director for Botanical Colors natural dyes for the past 8 years and loves celebrating natural dyers and their use of Botanical Colors' dyes on the company's social media platforms. She recently turned to educating herself and others on regenerative farming while running the Southeastern New England Fibershed. Not only does she see the importance of sequestering carbon and building better soil through better fiber farming practices, she is convinced that good dirt will build good humans and probably save the world. For more information, visit: botanicalcolors.com and amydufault.com
Sun (Bobby) English Jr. (they/them/she/her) is a QTPOC herbalist, farmer, educator, and ritual performance artist of African and Indigenous descent from Baltimore. They spend their days creating with Earth, Wood, Voice, and Metal; whether that be in the garden, wood shop, metal shop, or the apothecary. Community care and transformative justice are extremely important to them; and this passion has led them to found Melanated Medicinals and the Liberation Seed Farm.
Sun comes from a rich lineage of farmers, resistance fighters, and community gatherers. They are working towards a vision for the future that exists beyond the systems of oppression via many different land based projects. Sun believes that the practice of land stewardship is synonymous with practicing freedom, and they are feeling wonderful to be part of the great turning. For more information, visit: www.melanatedmedicinals.com
Porfirio Gutiérrez was born and raised in the rich and historic Zapotec textile community of Teotitlán del Valle in Oaxaca, Mexico. Gutiérrez began to formally learn his textile practice alongside his father at age 12. A desire to expand his knowledge of Zapotec heritage and a concern regarding the loss of natural dyeing in his home community motivated Gutiérrez to document and research techniques and stories of his elders. This research into heritage, art, spirituality, and the environment has profoundly influenced his creative life. Gutiérrez is a tireless advocate, researcher and ethnic ambassador for the Zapotec community. He travels extensively, exhibiting his art, giving lectures and demonstrating his technique. The story of his art practice has been featured in the New York Times, on PBS, and in a documentary funded by the Smithsonian Institute. In 2015, Gutiérrez was chosen by the Smithsonian as one of four artists in the Western hemisphere to participate in their Artist In Leadership Program. A selection of the Gutiérrez family’s dye materials was documented and added to the Harvard Art Museums’ Forbes Pigment Collection, the world-renowned archive of artist materials. His vision is to educate and share the rich textile arts of his culture while sustaining traditional practices for future generations. For more information, visit: http://porfiriogutierrez.com
Eric Jackson is an organizer, educator, and filmmaker. He humbly serves as Servant-Director of Black Yield Institute, a Pan-African institution based in Baltimore committed to movement building toward Black Land and Food Sovereignty. Eric has over ten years of experience in organizing, education, and program development and management. Eric has worked with others in various capacities to support community development in Cherry Hill (an urban village in Baltimore) on issues of food access, improving education opportunities, and organizational capacity building. He is a 2017 OSI Baltimore Community Fellow and a 2016 US Human Rights Network FIHRE Fellow. In 2018, Eric co-directed Baltimore’s Strange Fruit, a documentary film that explores the intersections of food, land, race, and class politics through personal narrative and social commentary. In 2019, his work was honored with the National Association of Social Work- Maryland Chapter Social Worker of the Year Award and the Association of Community Organization and Social Action Outstanding Practitioner of the Year Award. Since 2013, Eric has been contributing to educating future change agents, as an Adjunct Professor teaching/ facilitating courses on community organizing and macro social work practice, earning the 2017 Exemplary Faculty Award. Known as Baba Eric, he has also served as an educator and nurturer of Baltimore youth at Orita's Cross Freedom School. Eric earned Bachelor’s and Master’s Social Work degrees from Morgan State University & University of MD, School of Social Work, respectively. Eric’s vision is to organize and develop leadership within Black and poor communities with the goals of dismantling racism, building greater social, political and economic power, and establishing self-determination through institution and movement building. He is supported and loved on his journey by his four strong children, Oryan, Erian, Amir, and Kamau, and powerful Queen, Diara. For more information, visit: https://www.blackyieldinstitute.org/
Denzel Mitchell is an educator, farmer and cook.. Born and raised in Guthrie, Oklahoma; he planted in Baltimore in 2006 and soon got active in Baltimore’s urban agricultural movement. Denzel left a high school teaching career to co-found the Greening and Nutrition program at Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School. While there, he heard the call from the land and soon was selling vegetables on the corner in east Baltimore and herbs to his family’s favorite pizza spot. He graduated from Future Harvest’s Beginner Farmer Trainer Program in November 2010. He, his family and a cadre of supporters and volunteers operated Five Seeds Farm until 2016. He currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Farm Alliance and is a part-time “biscuithead” at Blacksauce Kitchen. Denzel loves to eat, cook and play with his family and friends. He lives in Union Square with his wife and 5 children. For more, follow
@fatherof5fivefifths on instagram
Rico Newman is an elder member of the Beaver Clan, Choptico Band of Piscataway-Conoy Indians, indigenous to Maryland, for which he served as spokesman for six years, assisting in regaining official Maryland Indian Status on January 9, 2012 by Executive Order. He currently serves as Chair for the non-profit group Maryland Indian Tourism Association and is a volunteer spokesperson with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Mr. Newman has served on the Board of Directors with Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Trails Committee, and the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs Repatriation, Education and Business development committees. He worked for six years with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian as Consultant and Cultural Information Specialist, has spent many years participating in Civic and University consortiums and Tribal Forums, and has developed a history curriculum for tribal youth. He is a traditional Beader, Finger Weaver, and native flute player. Items of his work are displayed in the collections of the Frisco Native Museum, N.C. and the National Museum of the American Indian.
Winona Quigley is the Founder and CEO of Green Matters Natural Dye Company. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, Winona worked briefly in the fashion industry before using her natural dye research to start Green Matters in 2015. Since launching, Green Matters has grown to have commercial dye capacity by using 4 industrial paddle dye machines to process yarn, fabric and garments for apparel and product brands. Winona’s vision is to continue to scale natural dye production to offer to a wider market so that more consumers can afford a naturally dyed product in their home goods and wardrobe. For more information, visit: http://www.greenmattersdye.com
Rowland Ricketts utilizes natural dyes and historical processes to create contemporary textiles that span art and design. Trained in indigo farming and dyeing in Japan, Rowland received his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2005 and is a Professor of Studio Art at Indiana University. His work has been exhibited at the Textile Museum in Washington, DC, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the Seattle Asian Art Museum. Rowland is a recipient of a United States Artists Fellowship and a Martha Stewart American Made Award. For more information, visit: www.rickettsindigo.com