Proposal and Mission:

The Artist's Garden Studio project aims to foster a deeper connection between art, nature, and sustainability by creating a collaborative space for research, engagement, and the cultivation of indigenous natural pigments with School of Visual Arts and Design students at the Free University in Tbilisi, Georgia. Rooted in sustainability and ecological stewardship principles, the garden will promote interdisciplinary learning while growing and harvesting plants for natural artistic mediums.

Research:

The Artist's Garden will function as a living studio, exploring natural pigments and stains and encouraging students to engage with art, nature, and sustainable innovation. Through deep local historical research and modern ecological practices, students will deepen their understanding of the region's cultural and environmental heritage from a contemporary perspective.

This initiative emphasizes deep research into the local history of dye-making and related flora, connecting traditional knowledge with current practices. By integrating research on historical uses of natural resources into their creative processes, students will expand their artistic practice while reflecting on the environmental significance of these mediums. This approach interweaves technical learning, historical context, and ecological awareness, enhancing students' artistic processes and their relationship with the natural world.

Components of Art-Making:

Building on the research phase, students will engage in hands-on pigment extraction and experimentation. They will prepare and test various plant-based painting, dyeing, and printmaking materials. This tactile experience will introduce new techniques and enable students to understand the unique properties of natural pigments, which they will directly incorprate into to their artwork.

Collaborative Studio Practices:

The garden will be a shared studio space where students can collaborate throughout the growing and harvest periods. By working with sustainable mediums-further highlights the intersection between art and ecology. These experiences will emphasize community-building, responsibility, and shared ownership in the artistic process of making natural paints and stains.

This project will also establish collaborative research and reciprocal creative sites between Tbilisi and its sister city, Atlanta, Georgia. The two cities will exchange insights, research, and artistic works through these reciprocal projects, fostering a cross-cultural dialogue around sustainability and ecological art practices.