The community is invited to use native plant species found around Douglas County to create cyanotypes that break the mold of the traditional blue-and-white sun print during two fall workshops.
Sky Maggiore, a University of Kansas photography lecturer, will host these “Brewing Botanicals” workshops as part of a grant he received from nonprofit group Outdoors Unscripted. He was one of six awardees in the 2026 grant cycle.
Maggiore will show attendees how to brew their own toning liquids to alter the iconic appearance of a cyanotype print.
“Every plant contains chemical compounds with the potential to dye or tan, but tannin-rich plants can help natural dyes bond to the chemical makeup of a cyanotype,” the event page reads. “Medicinal plants are loaded with the compounds that we need to create long lasting tonal variation!”
Those interested must email Maggiore at [email protected] to register for the “Brewing Botanicals” workshops.
The first event will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24 at the Gaura Prairie west of Lawrence. Attendees will forage, compose cyanotypes, brew toning agents and tone their prints.
The second workshop at KU will go from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 at Chalmers Hall, 1467 Jayhawk Boulevard. That will offer another opportunity for people to print cyanotypes, brew toning agents and tone the prints.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat — get the latest news from the Times delivered to your inbox:
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
This post is by the Lawrence Times news team.
If you have news tips, questions, comments, concerns, compliments or corrections for our team, please reach out and let us know what’s on your mind. Email us at [email protected] (don’t forget the KS!), or find more contact info and a quick contact form at LawrenceKSTimes.com/contact.
Follow us so you won’t miss the local news that matters most to you:
Latest Lawrence news:
Use native plants to create, alter ‘sun prints’ at these workshops in Douglas County
Cuyler Dunn/Lawrence Times
