The Dye Garden Project Manager will work closely with myself (Erin Miller, Director of Weaving in Student Craft), the Weaving Assistant Emerson Croft, and Horticulture Farm Manager Janet Meyer on all aspects of planning, growing, and maintaining the natural dye garden while conducting independent research related natural dyes. It is not required that candidates have prior experience with natural dyes and the research conducted can be tailored to fit any course of study. It is recommended that the successful candidate work a secondary (0-5) labor position in the Weaving Studio in spring of 2023 as initial planning and planting happens in late spring. This project was successfully established in the summer of 2020, and this summer’s Project Manager will build on previous work with new research to help perfect what we are doing well and improve areas where there is potential for growth. Having a dedicated individual to research and document all aspects of this project is critical to its success, and the discoveries we make this year will have a significant impact on how we grow and utilize dye producing plants on campus. The Dye Garden Project Manager will work closely with the Dye Garden Research Assistant to facilitate the following, with support and professional assistance from the Horticulture Farm and Student Craft staff:
1. Research natural dye plants that will grow in our zone and soil type and help choose which to plant in our plot at the horticulture farm.
2. Help to create a plot layout and determine how many of each plant must be started in the greenhouse.
3. Transplant seedlings that were started in the greenhouse to the field.
4. Grow and maintain other experimental dye and/or craft related plants in a greenhouse setting that will not effectively grow in the field.
5. Maintain the field plot after planting and keep notes on conditions and rate of growth to help us improve planting and growing choices in the future, and to identify ideal harvesting times.
6. Harvest and dry plants, keeping notes on the volume of fresh and dried material the plot produces.
7. Learn the chemical process of applying natural dyes to cloth in a sustainable and effective way.
8. Complete dye baths to determine the ratios of dried dye material, mordants, and dye assistants to handwoven cloth for future production purposes.
9. Make recommendations for future years on growing conditions and volume, as well as which fibers dye most effectively using the plants we can grow.
10. Conduct independent research for a craft project, production design, sample book, etc. related to natural dyes. The successful candidate will plan for the project at the start of the internship.