Fredericton Business Aims To Help Restore Native Land Through Craft
FREDERICTON – Through the use of New Brunswick’s native plants, Renata Britez wants to show the community how colourful nature can be. As the founder of RB Studio Art Centre and Gallery, she uses her “dye garden” to create a variety of natural textiles and art pieces.
RB Studio Art Centre and Gallery first opened on June 30, 2022, at 1624 Hanwell Road in Fredericton. Britez says the gallery is home to Fredericton’s first-ever dye garden.
Britez is originally from Brazil and keeps an open and respectful mind when researching the native land in New Brunswick. She wants to help restore the land while educating the community about how wonderful it can be.
“My goal is to teach people about the natural dyes and their properties and the amazing colours that the province has to provide us,” she tells Huddle.
As an artist, Britez uses the natural dyes of native plants to create items like clothing, paintings, and more. She then displays them in-store for purchase, as well as on the RB Studio Art Centre and Gallery website.
In the spirit of educating the community about natural dyes, Britez also provides workshops through the art studio. These workshops include things such as “Paint and Sip” nights, needle felting, soap making, and more.
“Everything related to nature and the natural sources I’m very interested in sharing with the community,” says Britez.
Along with creating natural dyes, RB Studio Art Centre and Gallery also keeps a conscious mind when it comes to how they contribute to the environment. The gallery attempts to remain as “off-grid” as possible.
Through items like a pellet stove, an incinerating toilet, and a rain container used for collecting rainwater, Britez tries to harm the environment as little as possible. She then uses the natural products that are produced by these items to give back to and help the environment.
“We are trying our best to use the most from nature,” she says. “Everything is always reusable here. I think that nothing should be going out waste.”
This summer, Britez says she has a plan to expand her dye garden. She says that after receiving a research grant from the Canada Council, she hopes to further her research with native plants and their dyes while reclaiming the native land.
“We will be putting more beds in the front and hopefully you’ll have a garden that people can come and visit and learn about the educational pieces of each plant,” Britez says.
Over the next couple weeks, RB Studio Art Centre and Gallery will be hosting a needle felting event through Fredericton’s FROSTival. They will also be personally hosting a “Paint and Sip” night in honour of “Galentines Day”.
Ryley Roach is a Huddle student intern, based in Fredericton. Send her your feedback and story ideas: [email protected]