Hara Museum ARC

Through the Gunma AIR Art Project, young artists produce art and participate in learning programs while residing in Gunma prefecture. As a part of this program, this workshop, called “Nature Color Picnic,” was held by the artist Aiko Yamamoto at the museum.

Yamamoto is an up-and-coming artist who uses silk, cocoon thread and other natural materials, natural dyes, as well as waste materials, to create artworks that explore the nature of and memories inherent in objects native to a locale.

For this program, the artist, during her residence at Lake Haruna and Kiryu, and with the cooperation of experts in various fields, collected plants native to Gunma and brought them, along with hot spring water from Ikaho, to the museum. She then had the participants make full use of their senses as they dyed cloth.

Groups of participants chopped the plants into fine pieces while appreciating the color, shape, and texture of the materials that would be used to produce dyes. Three dyes were made this time, from acorn and black alder, bidens pilosa (or beggarsticks), and boenninghausenia albiflora (or white Himalayan rue).

The chopped up plants were put into three pots for boiling. As the water came to a boil, the contents gave off scents that the members took in. They were surprisingly pleasant coming from the all too familiar acorns and wildflowers.


While the dyes were simmering, the members got busy preparing their cloths to be dyed, tying them with marbles and pebbles, etc. They listened attentively to advice provided by Yamamoto as they diligently worked with an image of the finished product in their heads and the feel of the wind swaying the tree branches at their side.


From the three simmering pots, not only scents arose, but also the distinctive colors of the dyes: reddish-brown, dark brown and yellow, respectively. Once the members finished tying off their cloths, they placed them into the pot of their choosing.

The power of nature then took over. During their wait, the members listened as Yamamoto talked about her past activities, enjoying the Umeda tea that Yamamoto had brought from Kiryu, Gunma prefecture. They all enjoyed making full use of their five senses: seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting as they created art in conjunction with nature.

After sufficient boiling, the cloths were removed from the pots and added to a mordant solution. The color of the cloth was changed not only by the dye but also by the mordant used. Yamamoto had prepared three mordants: “iron,” “Ikaho Onsen” and “copper.” Some members were excited about using the mordant “Ikaho Onsen” because it’s so close to Hara Museum ARC.

The cloths were then rinsed with water, untied and the marbles and pebbles removed. The final unfolding was a moment of suspense.

The end results were colorful and beautifully dyed pieces of cloth. Two pieces were made by each person, one for the member to take home, the other to be connected by Yamamoto to others produced at different Nature Color Picnic workshops, eventually becoming a single artwork.

The rain that had continued to fall all morning suddenly turned into a clear autumn sky, as if it had been waiting for the members to finish their work.

A fun and relaxing time was had by all, as if at a picnic.

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Event Outline
Date & Time: September 30, 2023 (Sat.) 13:30-15:30
Venue: The Corridor at Hara Museum ARC
Organized by: Gunma Prefectural Education and Culture Foundation, Gunma Prefecture, Hara Museum ARC
Supported by: Gunma Prefectural Board of Education
Target age: Elementary school or older (first- to third-year students had to be accompanied by a parent or guardian)
Capacity: 15
Participation fee: Free (Hara Museum ARC admission was included)
Instructor: Aiko Yamamoto