Second Saturday: Natural Plant Dyes with Museum Educators

Saturday, August 9th 11 am - 1 pm

Discover how to create natural dyes using materials found on the historic site’s grounds and gardens. Work alongside museum staff to process plant-based dyes, learn how 19th-century artists made their own pigments, and design your own hand-dyed handkerchief using traditional techniques.

Before commercially manufactured paint tubes became available in the 1840s, artists like Thomas Cole ground colorful rocks and minerals and mixed them with oils to create pigments—often experimenting with materials like tree bark for early dye tests. Botanical artists such as Emily Cole continued to look to plants both as subjects of study and sources of artistic expression. While Emily Cole used glazes and lusters in her china painting, plant-based dyes and pigments today offer a sustainable alternative to plastic-based art materials.

About Second Saturdays
Second Saturdays are monthly hands-on programs running from May through October, inviting visitors to explore themes from the Thomas Cole Site’s historic landscape and exhibitions. In 2025, Second Saturdays are inspired by the special exhibition Emily Cole: Ceramics, Flora, & Contemporary Practices (on view May 3–November 2, 2025) and feature creative activities led by museum educators and community partners.

What’s included:

• All materials provided

• Self-guided access to the museum following the workshop, including the exhibition Emily Cole: Ceramics, Flora & Contemporary Responses