Finding Fiber: Textile Material from the North American Field and Forest

Mitch Frank will give a talk describing his research into native North American bast fiber plants, including historical and contemporary usage by Indigenous people, textile artists, and sustainable fabric advocates. The talk will introduce several easy-to-find plants that produce bast fiber comparable to flax and hemp, including several promising species that haven't been used for this purpose before. This will be contextualized within a larger discussion about sustainability in textiles and the need for new (or, perhaps, old) ways of thinking about production and consumption. The talk will conclude with a Q&A and discussion.