Blue Gold: The Art and Science of Indigo is among more than 70 exhibitions and programs presented as part of Getty’s 2024 PST ART initiative. Returning in September 2024 with its latest edition, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, this landmark regional event explores the intersections of art and science. The heart of PST ART is always the distinctive cultural identity of Southern California and the universal hunger for artistic and intellectual discovery.
Indigo, a varied plant family that grows worldwide and the deep, blue dye it produces, has a long and multifaceted history of cultivation, production, and distribution. Indigo is everywhere – in Japanese kimonos, West African traditional garments, saris from India, and painted onto architectural structures in the southern United States. Blue Gold combines craft, science, and history to explore this color’s complex past and present. Featuring stunning objects of creative expression coupled with the astonishing study of a chemical reaction, this exhibition presents indigo as a compelling manifestation of art and science. Indigo’s beauty and ubiquity have eclipsed the unpleasant realities of its growth and manufacture, including hard labor and pollution and its association with colonialism and slavery. This exhibition highlights the importance of nuanced conversations that celebrate beauty without skipping over a grim past. Discover the roles of botany, chemistry, ecology, and economics in indigo cultivation and dive into a deeper appreciation for blue hues. Through workshops and talks led by local artists, including a Master Craftsman Lecture with Porfirio Gutiérrez and Dyeing Classes with Sarah Winston, be immersed in the world of indigo. There is magic in the transformation from plant to pigment. For more information about PST ART: Art & Science Collide, please visit pst.art
