Caroline Forde has been teaching workshops at Natalie Gerber Studio since our beginning in 2017, and we’re saddened to be bidding her farewell. Caroline will be moving back to Ontario to further her career in Costume Design. We are excited for what the future brings but we will miss her dearly. She is well known for her experiments and craftsmanship in natural dyes and her workshops in the past include Printing with Natural Dyes, Natural Dye Pot, Eco Printing, and Indigo Dyeing.
THE ARTIST
Caroline graduated from Sheridan College's Craft and Design Textile Program in 2015 and moved to Calgary shortly there after to complete her BFA at the Alberta University of the Arts, then Alberta College of Art + Design.
Caroline has been tirelessly working at growing her artistic presences! She participated in the Alberta Craft Council spotlight series showcasing her shirts, scarves and pillows. In 2018 she was nominated for an Alberta Craft Award, and has been participating in Fashion Revolution to raise awareness of harmful aspects of the fashion industry.
Fashion Revolution is, “…here to tell a different story about the clothes we wear. We are designers, academics, writers, business leaders, policymakers, brands, retailers, marketers, producers, makers, workers, trade unions and fashion lovers. We are the industry and we are the public. We are world citizens. We are you.
We believe that positive change can happen if we all think differently about fashion and demand better. We want a cleaner, safer, fairer, more transparent and more accountable fashion and textiles industry. We want fashion to become a force for good. We believe in an industry that values people, the environment, creativity and profit in equal measure.” Fashion Revolution
As a multidisciplinary artist Caroline explores her relationship to cloth and colour through dying, printing, weaving, felting and sewing. While working with natural dyes, Caroline’s practice is highly influenced by sustainability, she strives to create products that are conscious of the environment and customer.
Caroline has traveled around the world honing her skills. At the Harbourfront Center in Toronto she expanded the skills she learned in College. In New Jersey at the Peters Valley School of Craft she surrounded herself with dying, shibori and silk painting. She also was part of a residency at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity. More recently she flew to the Icelandic Textile Center for a month-long residency where she wove linen and silk on a traditional hand loom. One thing is for sure, Caroline has a need to learn from the best and has brought that knowledge back to share with us in Calgary.
She has settled into the roll as mentor with ease and has been teaching natural dying workshops for 4 years.
Currently her work has been focused on experimenting with natural dyes and pigments through dying and printing techniques. The patterns she creates are hand drawn and screen printed onto natural fabrics.
“I wanted to send a warm note to thank all the students who have participated in my workshops at Natalie's studio over the past few years. It has been a fantastic experience to teach out of Natalie's beautiful space and connect with the textile community around Calgary. Dedicating time to our creative practices isn't always easy, taking a workshop can help inspire new projects and get you out of your usual workspace. I am very thankful that I have been able to share my love for traditional textiles and natural dyes.” Caroline Forde
We wish you all the best Caroline and we hope you will visit us when you are back in town!