Dr. Fran Church, at right, guides Dollie Boyd, director of the Museums of Tusculum College, in applying wax to a batik design. The Doak House Museum held a workshop Thursday, Friday and Saturday to teach participants about the art of batik, which involves creating designs on fabric using wax and dye. Participants also created their own dyes using materials such as walnuts, berries and other natural materials. Dr. Church, an art instructor with 40 years of experience, led the workshop, which is part of the Doak House Museum’s “Crafting Appalachia” series and was made possible in part by a grant from East Tennessee Foundation’s Arts Fund for East Tennessee.
Batik allows designs to be created on fabric using a wax and dying technique. This design is between the waxing step and the one in which the dye is applied to the cloth.