Miriam C. Rice: MUSHROOMS FOR COLOR and MUSHROOMS FOR PAPER

Two videos on Miriam C. Rice's original research:
Mushrooms for Color: Dyeing with Fungi (1988, 28 minutes)
Mushrooms for Paper: Papermaking with Polypores (1993, 12 minutes)

The International Mushroom Dye Institute (IMDI) presents Mushrooms for Color, an excellent addition to the book, "Mushrooms for Dyes, Paper, Pigments & Myco-Stix™, by Miriam C. Rice. This presentation combines to two videos, "Dyeing with Fungi" and "Papermaking with Polypores," produced and directed by David Marks.

Using extensive footage of Miriam working around her home in the mushroom-rich environs of Mendocino, California, "Dyeing with Fungi" chronicles more than twenty years of her research and offers a fascinating glimpse into her methods for extracting the full spectrum of colors from fungi, as well as the excitement generated by her finds in the fiber arts community worldwide.

This history of Miriam's work is followed by "Papermaking with Polypores," a step-by-step guide, demonstrated by Rice herself, to the method she developed for making truly gorgeous papers from mushrooms.

Miriam C. Rice founded the IMDI in 1985 to encourage research on cultivation of dye fungi; and to financially aid artists and researchers desiring to participate in international symposia and exhibitions. She believed that fiber artists throughout the world would benefit from exploring the full spectrum of color derived from mushrooms as a new source of natural dyes and fungal pigments.

For more information on the IMDI, visit mushroomsforcolor.com.

Miriam C. Rice

Texture, shape, and color inspired Miriam C. Rice’s adventures in sculpture, wood-block printing, and batik art. In the early 1970s, she moved with artist husband, Ray, to the rugged Pacific Coast of Mendocino, California.

Mendocino’s woodlands and fields ignited a lifelong interest in the many species of local fungi and ultimately, in the hidden colors within them. This, combined with an increasing awareness of the toxicity of commercial dyes and pigments, spurred Miriam to consider mushrooms for soluble color.

In 1974, Miriam became the first person in the Western world to quantify and publish the results of experiments with dye-producing fungi in the book, "Let’s Try Mushrooms for Color,"in collaboration with illustrator Dorothy M. Beebee. An expanded version, "Mushrooms for Color," followed in 1980.

Over the next thirty years Miriam continued her exploration of mushroom dyes, expanded their use into papermaking, and extracted their pigments for use in watercolor inks and concentrated pigment sticks she named Myco-Stix™. She created these two videos documenting her research, and founded the non-profit organization, the International Mushroom Dye Institute (IMDI). In 2008 she published her final book, "Mushrooms for Dyes, Paper, Pigments & Myco-Stix™" which remains in print to this day and is available through Fungi Perfecti here: fungi.com/products/mushrooms-for-dyes-paper-pigments-myco-stix

Miriam died in August 2010, her sense of curiosity and wonder undiminished. Today, Miriam’s methods and dyes are used by fiber artists all over the world.

For more information on Miriam C. Rice as an artist, visit rayandmiriamrice.com.

Details on videos

Mushrooms for Color
"Dyeing with Fungi " 28 minutes
Narrator: Joanna Britton • Producer and Director: David B. Marks • Music: Tyler Lincoln • Camera: Nicholas Wilson, David B. Marks • Editors: David Weissman, David B. Marks • Scriptwriters: R. Veda, Wayne Sefton • Production Assistants: Becky Lane, Andrea Marks • Project Consultants: Miriam Rice, Oleg Char • Post-Production Assistance: Bay Area Video Coalition, San Francisco, CA. © 1988 David B. Marks Productions

Mushrooms for Paper
"Papermaking with Polypores" 12 minutes
Narrator: Joanna Britton • Executive Producer: Miriam C. Rice • Producer and Director: David Marks • Music: Tyler Lincoln • Camera and Editor: Oleg Harencar • With thanks to: Mendocino County Multicultural Development Program through a grant from The California Arts Council; Mycological Society of San Francisco; North American Mycological Association; Mendocino Art Center; Contributing artists of the “Let’s Try Mushrooms For Paper” Exhibition. © 1993 Miriam C. Rice.