Members-Only Skill Share: Harvesting and Processing Natural Materials for Permacarnival
August 1
1:00 to 4:00 pm
Blewett, BC
Open to West Kootenay Fibreshed members and Polka Dot Dragon Arts Society artists - registration not required.
West Kootenay Fibreshed is partnering with Polka Dot Dragon Arts Society on Permacarnival, a summer project exploring natural materials, costume-making, and sustainable design through the spirit of Carnival.
From August 17 to 21, Polka Dot Dragon Arts Society will host Toronto-based Trinidadian artists Michael Lee Poy and Xica Dieffenthaller-Lee Poy for a week of hands-on costume-making workshops inspired by the traditions of Trinidadian Carnival. In preparation for the workshops, West Kootenay Fibreshed members are invited to take part in a members-only skill share focused on harvesting and processing local natural materials.
This peer-to-peer session will bring Fibreshed members and Polka Dot Dragon artists together at a property in Blewett to gather, prepare, and experiment with plant fibres and other natural materials that may be used in the Permacarnival workshops.
Together, we will explore what can be harvested on site, how different materials behave, and how local fibres, grasses, leaves, willow, and other natural materials might be transformed into wearable, sculptural, or decorative costume elements.
Participants are welcome to bring natural materials they would like to process, share, or experiment with, including feathers, grasses, leaves, willow, plant-dyed fabrics, natural fibres, or other materials that could be used creatively.
This is not a formal workshop with a single instructor. It is a collaborative skill-sharing session rooted in curiosity, experimentation, and material play.
West Kootenay Fibreshed members who donate materials for the Permacarnival project will receive free access to the August 17 to 21 carnival workshops. If you would like to donate materials, contact Myra polkadotdragonarts@gmail.com.
More information about Permacarnival is available through Polka Dot Dragon Arts Society here.
