Eastern Iowa Fiber & Dye Cooperative
The Eastern Iowa Fiber & Dye Cooperative was a community garden located at Reno Street Park in Iowa City, IA.
Community gardens are known to grow food. The central question to this garden was: What if artists grew their own art supplies?
The garden was operated from 2024-26 by Nicholas Cladis thanks to the generous support of the Andy Warhol Foundation, the Big Field Fund administered by Iowa City non-profit arts organization Public Space One, and Iowa City Parks & Recreation / city government.
The co-op encouraged a communal, local approach to plant-based fiber and dye production and give paper, book, and textile artists a physical and spiritual resource for their work. Nicholas Cladis worked with local artists and curators Peju Layiwola, Martha Monick, Dana Noble, Jamin Shepherd, Cale Stelken, Lilah Ward, Cheryl Jacobsen, Nick Hotek, and Juli Seydell Johnson. This group also comprised the co-op's membership in its pilot year.
Plants include native dye/fiber plants as well as plants that have some kind of cultural or historical significance to Iowa. Plants ranged from indigo to coreopsis, from flax to numerous varieties of milkweed (which, when harvested responsibly, makes a great paper!).
This garden turned artists into stewards of the land and the materials they use. The garden was also activated with artworks and interventions, such as sculptures and artists’ books, and hosted several workshops throughout its operation.
On this page, you can see a photographic archive of our activities from spring to autumn 2025, as well as the progression from plot to harvest.
