Daidai 代々: Generation After Generation

ART360 is an introductory fiber course taught by Seiko Purdue at Western Washington University. All of the works on view here were created recently by her students using the traditional Japanese process of katazome. Though Purdue doesn’t create artworks using katazome in her own practice, she has taught the technique to students in the U.S since 1997. She feels it is important to pass the skills of katazome on from generation to generation; at the same time, it is vital to explore its possibilities through innovative directions.

For the katazome works seen here, students developed their own motifs, working with a black and white design before cutting stencils based on their imagery. Some works employ multiple stencil designs in their compositions. Others use the Tsutsugaki (free-hand method) of paste application to hand draw their designs in addition to the stencil before dyeing their fabric.

This collection of student work is presented in the spirit of Daidai 代々 a concept that expresses an appreciation for handing down valued techniques from generation to generation. This spirit is echoed throughout the exhibition Katazome Today where several of the artists are either students or teachers of one another.

The works can be seen in the Whatcom Museum Lightcatcher building lighthall on the first floor, 250 Flora St. General admission is $10. Student admission with ID is $8. The hours at the Lightcatcher are Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

The student exhibition is presented in conjunction with Whatcom Museum's "Katazome Today" co-curated by Seiko Purdue and Amy Chaloupka, textile art students created works of katazome.

Katazome (型染め) is a Japanese method of dyeing fabrics using a resist paste applied through a stencil, typically a rice flour mixture applied with a brush or a tool such as a palette knife. Unlike yūzen, stencils are used repeatedly to make a repeating pattern. Pigment is added by hand-painting, immersion dyeing, or both. The area of the fabric covered and permeated by the paste mixture resists the later application of dye, thus creating undyed areas within the fabric.