Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Powers

Hi Kayla, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I found my way to textile art by way of gardening. I studied Art History in college and the summer after I graduated I worked on a little organic vegetable farm. At the same time, I took a weaving class at the art institute in town so I was learning about plants and fiber at the same time. The two things really came together for me and I’ve been weaving and natural dyeing ever since.

I moved to Detroit in 2017 and quickly fell in love with the city and I continue to be so inspired by the wildlife there. I began making what I call Place-Based Art meaning that I was working with locally grown and foraged plants to explore inner and outer landscapes and the relationships between the living world and the built environment. In September 2024 I’m moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico and I’m eager to explore a new landscape and ecosystem in my work!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

It has been smooth in the sense that I know very deeply that I’m doing something I feel called to do. It’s not as if I earn a ton of money or have the kind of financial stability that another type of work may offer but I have the contentment of pursuing my own curiosity everyday and that is invaluable to me. My life and my work are really seamless at this point.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

Natural Dyeing is really the foundation of my practice. I forage and grow the plants that I dye with so my palette becomes a reflection of a specific moment in time and place. I think this is unique but it’s also how people – artisans and craft people – would have traditionally worked. In this way, I am tapping into some shared ancestral knowledge of working with the land, working with natural materials. It is a way for me to live in alignment with my values. I am always working to cultivate a relationship with the living world and to recognize my own role as part of the living world. This requires attention, care, and patience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kaylapowers.studio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayla.powers/

Image Credits
Will Brinkerhoff, George Perez, Grant Goulet