How can the earth shape our art?
Join us on Saturday, November 7 for an introductory ink-making workshop! Forage for materials like wild grape, buckthorn and acorns, and learn how to extract colour from them, along with red currants, turmeric and walnuts, to make your own natural inks.
Guided by artist and educator Alex Iorgu, explore what colours can be found in Toronto’s ravines and how to practice safe and responsible harvesting. After a demonstration of sketching and observational drawing skills with a range of brushes and dip pens, participants will be invited to sketch and experiment with the handmade inks.
After a demonstration of sketching and observational drawing skills with a range of brushes and dip pens, you’ll be invited to sketch and experiment with the handmade inks.
All materials are provided, but you’re invited to bring a notebook to record recipes, as well as a recycled small glass bottle to take some walnut ink home.
This workshop is inspired by Ombligo, a new monumental installation by Delcy Morelos created with rope, soil and corn roots. Rooted in Morelos’s relationship to the land in her native Colombia, her practice explores both the earth’s nourishing and regenerative power and the violence of dispossession. Raised in Tierralta by her grandmother, a descendant of the Emberá people, Morelos draws on this heritage through her use of materials including soil, clay, fabric and plant fibres.
Registration required. Ticket includes general admission, and all materials are provided. Recommended for ages 13+.
*Enthusiast, Catalyst, and Sustaining Members: redeem your complimentary ticket for this event or enjoy 10% off. To join or upgrade your membership, email membership@moca.ca.
About the Artist
Alex Iorgu is an Etobicoke land-based artist. She has been learning from nature how to create, grow and let go. In her current art practice, Alex is developing Living Sculptures, a series of site-specific ephemeral installations using natural materials, seeds and clay. Exhibiting themes of transformation and endurance, the sculptures will deconstruct, eventually disappearing.
Alex’s belief in the power of making and creating is often executed in the community-context, where she has received multiple grants to support projects across many diverse neighbourhoods. She involves the community in slow art-making experiences, inspiring participants to form connections with the land where they live, before they are invited to explore materials and co-create.
November Community Weekend Schedule
Friday, November 6
5–8 pm: Free Friday Night
Saturday, November 7
1–4 pm: Natural Inks Workshop with Alex Iorgu*
*There is a $50 fee per person. General Admission to the museum is included. MOCA Members at the Enthusiast level and above are eligible for workshop discounts.
TD Community Sunday, November 8
11 am–5 pm: Free museum admission
11 am–3 pm: Drop-in workshop: Assemblage Adventure
