This class is dedicated to the preservation of the history and culture of the enslaved people who were shipped to the U.S. from Africa in the 1500s to labor on indigo plantations. Indigo was grown in early South Carolina to produce a blue dye that was exported to England for use in the British textile industry. Indigo formed a significant part of the South Carolina economy for approximately fifty years, from the late 1740s to the late 1790s. During that period, indigo (or, more specifically, indigo dyestuff) was South Carolina’s second most valuable export, behind rice. The cultivation and production of indigo also involved the labor of thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of people in the South Carolina Lowcountry. For this reason, the cultural memory of indigo is heightened among members of the African American community along what is now called the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. This is the Cultural Heritage Corridor that leads to Baltimore.
This is also the origin story of the denim jeans that we all love so much. Information is power, and Kibibi Ajanku shares an understanding that allows for the power of a healing pathway through art. Textiles are storytellers of history, legacy, as well as the relationship of these ancient stories. Ajanku is an artist who brings life to these stories through West African-based indigo dyeing techniques. She utilizes the visual statement to serve as informer, guide, and connector.
The Indigo Dye Village at Common Ground has become a beloved favorite and has returned again and again. The course framework remains the same, but each year offers a focused indigo theme through the lens of West African dye traditions. 2025 features Adire Batik. Participants will dive into the process of designing fabric using wax resist in a variety of ways from hand painted to hand stamped. In addition to use of the broad collection of wax stamps offered by the instructor, participants will design and make their own wax stamps. A limited amount of practice fabric swatches will be supplied.
Class limit: 15 students, ages 16 and up
Materials fee: $50 includes Indigo Dye, wax stamps, fabric swatches
Student should bring:
- studio work aprons, studio work clothes, rubber gloves
- (NOTE: dye can ruin clothing and temporarily stain hands)
- optional: notebook, sketchbook, pencil, pen
- Blank 100% cotton dye-ables: up to 5lbs - suggestions include but are not limited to t-shirts, quilt squares, table clothes, etc
