Sarah Broomfield

I am a fiber artist who designs, weaves, dyes with natural dyes and leads indigo dyeing workshops. I try to leave a low environmental impact in my studio practices. Many of the yarns I use are heirloom yarns sourced from former handweaving centers in my hometown, and from studios of weavers who have left them behind. I use natural fibers in my work and prefer natural dyes, but I also use commercially dyed yarns that were obtained to rescue the yarns from going to waste. Wool, alpaca, linen, cotton, hemp, and silk are my standard yarns.

I live in a small college town, the Arts & Crafts Capitol of KY, and site of the former Churchill Weavers handweaving production center. In my retirement I am committed to keeping alive handweaving traditions by producing items from my upcycled yarn inventory.

My recent weavings are conceptional works commenting on issues we face in the Anthropocene era on this small planet. Issues of just access to and preservation of clean water, preserving forest land, sustainable use of urban land, and nurturing the fibershed where we live are themes addressed in my weavings.

In indigo dyeing workshops I teach the deep history of indigo’s use across the world and throughout history. I want participants to connect with the ancient use of indigo plants to make art that merges makers with the sublime. I use an organic indigo recipe that leaves a light footprint on the earth and try to instill in workshop participants the need to recycle rinse water back into the earth.

Clay can be used as a resist paste for making designs on fabric when dyeing with indigo, and we will use this technique in the indigo workshops at Recovering Joy Nature and Arts Center. We’ll use "spoil clay" from abandoned coal mines to create resist patterns on indigo dyed fabrics. Turning a waste material from the coal mining industry into art is another metaphor for the transformation women participants make in their lives as they move from addiction to wellness. We already use the metaphor of indigo’s transitional shift to blue as we watch indigo dipped fabrics change from green to blue as they oxidize. We talk about the unseen forces all around us that create changes in our lives, creating new beauty. The metaphor of the indigo transformation sticks with so many of the women I work with. My indigo workshops use natural dyeing on textiles as a healing practice where women build self-esteem, regain curiosity about natural occurrences, and gain confidence in expressing themselves through art-making sessions.

Healing from addiction happens over time and requires repeated attempts to find a path that resonates and sticks with each woman. The special “spoil” clay we have available for workshops will add another metaphor for healing that may resonate with participants. Workshop participants already use the spoil clay to make butterfly pendants, the metaphor of the butterfly sticks with some. Unhealthy practices often stem from feelings of low self-esteem and worthlessness in our consumer culture. Using clay that was regarded as waste to create beautiful patterns on cloth will illustrate worthiness to women who identify as social outcasts. I am excited to be able to deepen the indigo workshops by adding another metaphor for participants to think about in their work towards regaining healthy living and a reconnection to the larger society.

A growing body of research shows that making art supports healing and wellness. Participants in indigo workshops have shown and reported many of the short-term changes documented in research: relaxation and mindfulness, a sense of accomplishment and purpose, problem solving that improves cognitive function, elevated mood aiding emotional expression, group work that fosters social connections, increased coping skills and self-esteem within a healthy outlet for emotions and supporting emotional regulation and self-worth.

Indigo dyeing workshops, along with growing Japanese indigo in the center’s high tunnel greenhouse help to deepen the experience for the participants as they use nature’s resources to make changes on cloth. The changes and marks they create on cloth reflect their struggles and commitment to turning their lives around from addiction to wellness, wholeness, and joy.