Concord Academy has a wide variety of courses, but Color on Cloth may be one of the most unique. This class has been offered at CA for over a decade, centering around color and the dyeing process while encouraging students to experiment with new materials.
The course is instructed by Jessica Cloutier-Plasse, who is the Performing Arts Department Manager and additionally teaches Computer Science and Fiber Arts. Cloutier-Plasse grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts, which was one of the largest textile producers in the late 1800s. Upon immigrating there, many of her family members were involved in the textile industry, such as her grandmother who worked as a seamstress, and her mom who worked as a fabric tester. Consequently, Cloutier-Plasse knew how to sew at a young age, saying, “So, textiles, I like to say, are in my blood.”
Color on Cloth covers many topics, starting with hand sewing and using sewing machines, which are recent additions to this class. Though they may not seem conventional for fabric dyeing, they are skills that prepare students for future projects, giving them a strong foundation to build on. After this, the course then introduces different kinds of dyeing methods from around the world by delving into their diverse histories while balancing hands-on experimentation with them. Students also learn processes such as applique, where smaller pieces of fabric are glued or sewed onto a larger piece, and using de-colorant to remove color from previously dyed fabric to create designs. All these techniques are combined at the end of the semester to assemble the final project, where students are given the freedom to design and create a piece of their choice. Aoife Willerjee ’27 says, “This feels like a space where I can just be creative and experiment and try things out and make mistakes. Whenever I’m washing out the fabric I’m always excited to be surprised by the results of the technique.”
Cloutier-Plasse typically starts class with a short demonstration to maximize the time students have to try the technique themselves. The remainder of class is used for trial and error and experimentation, where students are constantly surprised and delighted by the individuality of each piece. Throughout the course, the smaller skills that Cloutier-Plasse prioritizes build on each other, showing students the value of applying their accumulated knowledge to ultimately create larger pieces with a narrative. Cloutier-Plasse mentions, “I think this shows the whole process other than weaving fabric, how to pattern and create textiles and then how to tell a story through textile that isn't something that is necessarily wearable, usable, and is almost treated as a painting in a lot of ways.”
Color on Cloth allows students to understand various kinds of dyeing methods and learn through hands-on experimentation with the materials. This course highlights all sorts of unique skills with textiles and teaches students to weave stories through cloth, all while expanding their view on the dyeing process.