Cochineal Exhibit - Museum of International Folk Art

"The Red that Colored the World," an exhibit on the history of dyeing with cochineal is going on now through September 2015 at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  If you happen to be traveling to that part of the country in the next month or so, be sure to include a visit to the museum on your itinerary.  I am privileged to have  a tiny, tiny  part in this exhibition.

Aurelia Gomez, Deputy Director of the museum, contacted me a few months ago saying that the museum was planning an exhibit on the history of cochineal dyeing.  They hoped to include in the exhibit a display showing other sources of red dye, as well.  Their art director had  found a photo on my dye blog showing some of the madder root I had grown and harvested for dyeing.   Madder being another ancient source for red dye, they wanted permission to use my photo in their display.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the exhibit in this small way, and granted permission.

Below is a picture of the display in the museum.  The photo of my red madder root appears in the center of the display:

Display of alternate sources for red dye
 shown in the cochineal exhibit, "The Red that Colored the World,"
 at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2015.

Check out the link on the right to view my "Madder" post on dyeing with madder root.