Material Transformations

Transform natural materials into vibrant pigments in this free workshop with artist Julia Norton! Learn more about the history and sustainability of natural materials, gather inspiration from Julia’s own practice, engage with others while you experiment with natural pigments, and create your own work of art.

This workshop is offered in connection with our current exhibition Future Fossils and explores the ways in which materials transform and take on new life. Workshop participants are encouraged to visit Future Fossils during your museum experience. 

Julia Norton 

Julia Norton is a multimedia visual artist, arts educator, and researcher with a primary focus on natural color materials, including pigments, inks, and dyes. In her art practice, she aims to work with imagery and materials that correlate with her interest in life cycles and regeneration. She envisions working with natural materials as a form of collaboration, rather than mere usage.  As integral components of her practice, these resources are valued for their distinctive characteristics that may relate to where they come from in nature, what their global histories are, and how they add to artwork through their living and nuanced qualities. As an educator with over a decade of experience teaching in museum spaces and other cultural institutions, Julia believes in fostering creative exploration, self determination, cultural connections, open inquiry, and a critical mindset as she engages with her students. She has taught a broad range of workshops and multi-session programs at art spaces such as Dia Beacon, Swiss Institute, Queens Museum, and Harvard Art Museums with an emphasis on the natural world and the color materials connected to it. Through these education offerings, she hopes to center and inspire ongoing exploration, curiosity, and conversation with participants of all ages.

Free! Tickets available soon.