In the first half of this Design Talk Series workshop, we will learn about historic natural color materials by exploring their origins, cultural implications, and uses in both past and present. In addition to diving deep into these histories, we will investigate the work of contemporary artists who consider color materials in their practices. In the second half of the workshop, we will look at some of these raw materials firsthand and then learn how to make watercolor paint from scratch using different pigments. We will end with time to explore working with them on paper.
Julia Norton is a multimedia artist, educator, and researcher, with a primary focus on natural materials. She holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, an MFA from SUNY Purchase, and an Ed.M from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her work has been exhibited at Lyles & King, The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, and The Wassaic Project, and she has participated in residencies at The Wassaic Project (Wassaic, NY), Cooper Union (New York, NY), Mass MoCA (North Adams, MA), Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (BC, Canada), and Pocoapoco (Oaxaca, Mexico). In 2023 she was the recipient of the Rema Hort Mann Foundation Artist Community Engagement Grant. She has previously worked as an educator at institutions such as New Museum, Pioneer Works, and Harvard Art Museums, and currently at Swiss Institute, Dia Art Foundation, and The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum.
Learn more about Julia Norton on her website.