Why Indigo? 

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Every culture & region in the world has its own indigo dyeing art practices. Let us connect with each other through this magical plant we all share?

This is how the Indigo Shade Map Works!

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Each blue icon in the map represents the three major indigo species:

- Indigofera tinctoria (African & Tropical Indigo)

- Polygonum tinctorium (Japanese, Jjok & Asian Indigo)

- Isatis tinctoria (Woad)

We've recently found other special plants used as indigo that have not been categorized under the major three listed above and are marked on the map as "Special Indigo" with a green icon.  

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Click the map to navigate the Indigo Shade Map

Indigo Shade Map was made via mapme.com

Contributors & Volunteers for Indigo Shade Map

Rosaful Garden

Arts & Daily Stories

Rosa is a Korean female interdisciplinary artist focusing on natural dye/indigo and its culture as a form of art practice and visual storytelling contents.

Eva Sally

https://www.earthanddust.org/

Eva Sailly is a curator based in Baltimore and a recent MFA Curatorial Practice graduate from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Eva's work includes "What to Make of Earth and Dust, a pop-up workshop and performance series highlighting the recitation of brujería among young Latinx and Afro-Latinx educators, activists and practitioners.

Rae Drotleff

https://www.instagram.com/raeofsin/

Rae an interdisciplinary artist interested in themes of the rural, and expressing narratives. Rae loves making puppets, garments, hats, and illustrations. 

Qianchun(Quincy) Yang

Textile artist/Indigo lover/Fiber major at MICA

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Lusi Cai

Ayobami Adeyemo

https://www.instagram.com/ayo.bet/ 

Ayobami makes stuff, the stuff he makes varies from time to time.

Jasmine Nicole Cothern

https://jasminecothern.wixsite.com/jasminecothern 

Jasmine Cothern is currently pursing her Master's of Arts Degree in Social Design at Maryland Institute College of Art. She received her BA in Studio Art at East Tennessee State University, where she focused on Fiber Arts. She is influenced by bold colors and patterns in the design work of Lily Pulitzer and Betsey Johnson, and the bright, vibrant hues reminiscent of Pop Art.  When looking at her prints, people feel a sense of positivity and happiness. 

Jennifer Nguyen

Jennifer Nguyen is fiber artist currently studying at MICA, interested in natural dyes and their applications in traditional and contemporary fashion. They see their work as a tool to reconnect to their Vietnamese heritage, family, and Asian culture at large through the use of research and historical practices such as weaving, felting, natural dyeing, etc. 

Textile artist/Fiber major at MICA

Qinnan(Rivers) Zhu

https://www.instagram.com/rivers_cichlid/

Rivers is a senior fiber major in mica. She like doing new things

This Indigo Shade Map wouldn't be able to bloom beautifully without the endless support from our generous Indigo Shade Map students and faculty from the Fiber Department at Maryland Institute College of Art. Please click the link to find out more on the Natural Dye Initiative and learn about our 18-month indigo journey along the natural dye bus!