Plant-Based Primaries: Intro to Natural Dye Applications on Paper and Fabric - Fall 2025

Plant-Based Primaries: Intro to Natural Dye Applications on Paper and Fabric - Fall 2025Course Code: 25FTX105I This in person workshop takes place at CBA on Tuesdays, November 18th December 9th, from 6PM to 9PM ET. Tuesday, November 18th, 6PM to 9PM ET Tuesday, November 25th, 6PM to 9PM ET Tuesday, December 2nd, 6PM to 9PM ET Tuesday, December 9th, 6PM to 9PM ET Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on November 4th, at 11: 59pm Eastern Time. About the Workshop: The eco conscious practice of extracting natural dyes from

Course Code: 25FTX105I

This in-person workshop takes place at CBA on Tuesdays, November 18th - December 9th, from 6PM to 9PM ET.

• Tuesday, November 18th, 6PM to 9PM ET
• Tuesday, November 25th, 6PM to 9PM ET
• Tuesday, December 2nd, 6PM to 9PM ET
• Tuesday, December 9th, 6PM to 9PM ET

Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on November 4th, at 11:59pm Eastern Time.

About the Workshop:

The eco-conscious practice of extracting natural dyes from plants dates back thousands of years. This hands-on, exploratory workshop will introduce students to the history, science, and art of utilizing natural, plant-based dyes to create long-lasting colors. We’ll dive deep into madder, pomegranate, and organic indigo to create a range of blues, reds, and yellows, as well as explore the use of pH modifiers and overdyeing to expand the color range of each plant-based dye. Students will gain a step-by-step understanding of how to prepare materials and properly utilize these dyes, in addition to learning resist-based techniques for creating patterns. Students will create their own spiral-bound swatch book to reference for future explorations. 

Required Materials:

• Notebook, pen/pencil
• Students are invited to bring small textiles and papers for further experimentation. Details on what can be dyed will be provided in the first session.

All other materials will be provided by Center for Book Arts at no additional cost.

About This Instructor:

Rhonda Khalifeh is a Syrian-American interdisciplinary artist based in the Hudson Valley. She  received her MFA from the fiber department at Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2017 and has  been an artist in residence at SVA Bio Art Lab, Textile Arts Center, and Center for Book Arts.  Khalifeh’s work has been exhibited across the country and can be found in several public  collections including the Met Museum, New York Public Library, and Fine Arts Library at  Harvard University. She published Project Z (2018) and Project Z Book II (2022) with Open  Projects Press.

All images courtesy of the instructor.