Our St. Helena Training Celebration

Sarah Renolds Green welcomes everyone to the Indigo training at Marshview Farms

What an incredible day we had on Friday, September 24th, at Marshview Farms on St. Helena Island. We had community members, visitors, media representatives, farmers, artists, students, and teachers gather to learn, teach, and advocate for indigo together.

As Arianne King Comer and I (Heather) drove down from Charleston on Thursday, we discussed our past, ongoing, and future roles in the work at ICIC.

An understanding emerged of our role as Ambassadors, alongside all of you who are also working to revive and uplift indigo.

Precious Jennings drove to the farm the previous day to harvest much of the indigo alongside Sara. The indigo had the chance to sit in the troughs for about 24 hrs (temps in 70-80s) before the training. The indigo extracted beautifully and we began the training by removing the plant materials, while appreciating the telltale coppery scum and aqua green hue of the water.

Indigofera suffruticosa plant materials removed from the aqueous extraction bath

Two large (100 & 150 gallon) troughs of extracted indigo in a water solution

Next, we added the pumps to both troughs to aerate the vats and we began to explore using shibori and adire pattern-making techniques while we waited.

Arianne King Comer and attendees working on their indigo textiles

Students from South Carolina State and other attendees working on their indigo textiles

We took a break for a delicious lunch, catered by Bill Renolds of Gullah Grub. Our menu included his much-loved mac and cheese, fried whiting, baked chicken, veggie gumbo and a fresh salad.

Bill Renolds of Gullah Grub tells us about our menu

After lunch, the indigo extraction process continued by checking the aeration and determining that it was well "done" and time to remove the pumps, add lime and let the pigment begin to settle.

Well aerated indigo aqueous extraction

The fun continued as we made our indigo pattern-dyed textiles and got to know one another better.

A poster describing the history of the ancestral land of Marshview Farms and indigo pigment "paint" ready to be used.

Sara Renolds Green and Amanda McNulty of 'Making It Grow'

Akymia Hunter with her indigo dyed apron

Me (Heather K Powers) and Amanda McNulty with her indigo dyed hair!

Locks were dyed!

We wrapped up the day by dewatering the indigo to prepare it for final filtration into mud/powder.

Attendees and their Beautiful Indigo Creations at Marshview Farms