Registration Status
Future offerings
Colors from the Land: Identifying Natural Dye Plants of Humboldt County
Fri., March 27-April 10, 3-5 p.m.
Time: 3-5 p.m.
Location: In person: On Campus
Cost: $60
With Serah Blackstone-Fredericks, Writer, Musician, Oral Historian, & Experimental Anthropologist
Humboldt County is rich with plants, lichens and natural materials that hold hidden colors. Explore how to identify local dye plants on everyday walks or hikes, and how plants can be transformed into lasting pigments for fabric and fiber. Discuss the cultural history of natural dyes, show-and-tell samples, and experience a live demonstration of the dye process in action. You’ll also gain inspiration and guidance for your own experiments with Humboldt’s seasonal palette. No prior experience is required -- just curiosity and a love for nature’s colors.
Class #: 23946
Registration opens for OLLI members on Feb. 3. Non-members may register starting Feb. 9.
Serah Blackstone-Fredericks
Serah Blackstone-Fredericks will graduate in spring 2026 with a B.A. in cross-disciplinary anthropology, with a minor in arts in health and narrative medicine.
She writes for The Lumberjack, Cal Poly Humboldt’s student newspaper, and brings her perspective as a returning student to her reporting on community and campus life.
A published author of prose, Serah explores the intersections of culture, storytelling, and health in both her academic and creative work. Her background as a mother, writer, artist, and lifelong observer of human connection informs her research and teaching.
Beyond the classroom, she tends her garden, experiments with recipe development, and practices slow, intentional arts such as fermenting, natural dyeing, and seasonal handcrafts.
Through her writing, music, and creative projects, Serah seeks to bridge disciplines and foster spaces of reflection, resilience, and belonging.
