All materials for the course will be provided. All one need bring is an open mind, and willingness to try new things in a beautiful place, amongst like-minded friends.

ACTIVITY

Under Aboubakar Fofana’s creative guidance, participants will explore three to four traditional Malian stitch-resist patterns, learning techniques they can apply to natural dyeing and hand-sewing projects well beyond the workshop.

Throughout the workshop, Aboubakar will share his experiences revitalizing indigo cultivation in Mali, offering insight into the cultural significance of the stitch resist motif taught and their place in Malian history. Participants will gain both practical skills and a deeper understanding of the stories stitched into the patterns they create.

The workshop is open to all skill levels. Fabrics for stitching and dyeing, multiple indigo vats of varying strength, and all necessary stitching supplies will be provided. All materials are plant- or earth-based and organically sourced, reflecting a commitment to sustainable and mindful practices.

LOCATION

This workshop will take place in the Pratt Institute Dye Garden in Brooklyn, NY.

The Dye Garden is located on the Brooklyn Campus of the Pratt Institute. The garden offers workshops to Pratt Institute and the surrounding community educating on the sustainable and integrative process of natural dyes.

Recognizing the Indigenous knowledge these dyes are based on is central to the garden’s identity, as is an acknowledgement that the garden is built on Lenapehoking territory.

You can read more about the dye garden project here: https://textiledyegarden.pratt.edu/.

Dates
June 25th -28th, 2026

10am – 4pm ET

Cost
$1100

Photographs by Francois Goudier and Katherine Hattori

OUR TEACHER

Aboubakar Fofana

Born in Mali and raised in France, Aboubakar Fofana is a multidisciplinary artist and designer whose working mediums include calligraphy, textiles and natural dyes. He is known for his work in reinvigorating and redefining West African indigo dyeing techniques, and much of his focus is devoted to the preservation and reinterpretation of traditional West African textile and natural dyeing techniques and materials.

Fofana’s work stems from a profound spiritual belief that nature is divine and that through respecting this divinity we can understand the immense and sacred universe. His raw materials come from the natural world, and his working practice revolves around the cycles of nature, the themes of birth, decay and change, and the impermanence of these materials. He sees the conception and realisation of this work as a form of spiritual practice which is shared with his audience.

Fofana is currently deeply involved in creating a farm in conjunction with the local community in the district of Siby, Mali, in which the two types of indigenous West African indigo will be the centerpiece for a permaculture model based around local food, medicine and dye plants. This project hopes to contribute to the rebirth of fermented indigo dyeing in Mali and beyond, and represents his life’s greatest project to date.