His artistic practice is deeply influenced by ancestral heritage. As a papermaker of color, he has expanded the boundaries between paper and textiles, resulting in sculptural works. For the past 15 years, he has experimented with indigo and handmade paper to create garments and accessories that function as both wearable and sculptural art. His work is grounded in a combination of hand papermaking and traditional African dyeing techniques, utilizing indigo derived from plants that once thrived in South Carolina’s Low Country. Serving as a board member of The International Center for Indigo Culture, he continues to investigate new possibilities, traditions, and creative practices. – Tony Williams As an indigo grower and producer with CHI design indigo, it has been such an honor for me to join in the co-creative spirit of this important publication -- with the pioneering textile artists, natural dyers, educators, growers, and community leaders in the Lowcountry of the Southeast and the Southern SARE team. We all need the magic of indigo now as much as we ever have -- the living plants, their transformative blue color, and the collaborative culture that brings us together. -David Harper These hands-on indigo trainings have been a journey in teaching and learning about how we treat our beloved seeds, land, and one another. It's been an honor and joy to come together on ancestral lands, where we have shared stories, traditions, and creative practices that uplift and heal us together, in sacred, creative community. These practices in the community are deeply valuable and worthy of our time and attention. Creating an accessible and safe space has unfolded opportunities to explore indigo in ways that I had not imagined at the beginning of this journey. -Heather Powers 44
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