In September of 2004 while driving home from a family vacation Inez, her husband Jerel and their two children were in a severe car accident. The family vehicle ended up rolling over 3 times. Inez slid up through the top of her seat-belt allowing her head to crash through the sunroof and make contact with the road. Jerel broke through the passenger window and his shoulder and right arm were pinned under the car when it came to rest. Inez's skull had been crushed, after surgery and prayers, Inez survived; there are still staples in her scalp today. When she was released from the hospital, doctor's warned that chances for a full recovery were remote because of permanent effects of head trauma.
Upon release from the hospital, employment was difficult because of disability and enduring health conditions related to the accident. Jerel went back to school with the hope of retooling himself into a new career. Two years later Inez enrolled too, in spite of the academic challenges she faced as a result her traumatic brain injury. In 2010 Jerel graduated with honors and in 2011 was accepted to a Masters of Fine Arts Program. Inez is now scheduled to graduate from Utah Valley University Bachelors of Fine Arts Program in 2013 and as part of her course work needed to do a Senior Thesis project. Her son gave her the idea of creating the World's Largest Tie-Dye installation, and with encouragement and support from family, friends and teachers, she decided to take on the project.
In looking for help to make her project possible, one of the places Inez reached out to was here at Dharma Trading Co. After all, where else do you get dye for an attempt at the World's Largest Tie-Dye then from the folks that have been providing professional quality supplies for tie-dye since 1969?
We donated 130 lbs of dye to help Inez dye over 900 lbs, 1040 yards (3120 feet !) of cotton fabric. The actual dyeing and breaking of the World's Record took place on March 7! Guinness came out and measured, and she is expecting to get the official Certificate from them soon.
Check out her website at: www.vibrantprotest.com. You can also follow the project on Facebook.
8-13-2013
Vibrant Protest: Liberty is going places.
Inez got back last night from a wonderful trip to Northern California. Where she helped with the preparations for Vibrant Protest: Liberty's upcoming exhibition at the Unseen Arena in Hayfork, California during the Saint Francis Festival September 25th through October 5th.
While there she also got to visit our adopted family at Dharma Trading Company. She had a wonderful time there with Dharma and got to see some of their new products that are coming out. Inez and I are very excited about their new photo-sensitive dyes and the realm of possibilities that it opens up in both our work.
We are very excited about going back home to Northern California to share our work in our home state.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this trip a success and to all of our new friends, we cannot wait to be with you again.!
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
8-13-2013
Vibrant Protest: Liberty is going places.
We have been very busy this Summer here at Grey Forest Studio, LLC. setting plans and making preparations for Vibrant Protest: Liberty and our other upcoming artworks. Part of these plans include an exhibition of Liberty this Fall 2013.
We will be taking Vibrant Protest: Liberty on the road this Fall to the Unseen Arena in Hayfork, California for the Saint Francis Festival September 25th through October 5th. This is an exciting opportunity for us to show Liberty in Northern California. The announcement of Liberty's exhibition was covered by KRCR ABC 7 and KCVU Fox 20 in Redding, California. You can read Inez's interview with Tracey Leong at their website http://www.krcrtv.com which aired tonight (August 13, 2013). We will link to videos of the interview as they become available.
UPDATE: Here is the actual video interview.
For those of you who are in Northern California we would love to see you at the event. Help us get the word out and come experience Vibrant Protest: Liberty!
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
6-29-2013
The Story of Liberty
...Someone posted an update on here!
As posted earlier we have completed the video detailing the process of creating Vibrant Protest: Liberty. There have been quite a few people asking about why Inez made this project. Fox13 here in Utah did a short expose of Liberty on Rinse Day. To learn more about this Labor of Love we have linked to the video once again.
Our YouTube Videos:
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
6-1-2013
It's about time...
...Someone posted an update on here!
Even with Liberty up on display at the Woodbury Museum, we have been very busy for the past few weeks.
Inez has graduated college with her BFA and Honors. We are very proud of her accomplishments and the hard work she has put in over her college career. It has been an amazing ride, that I am grateful to be a part of.
If you were not able to see Liberty on display at the Woodbury do not despair we are making plans to show this awesome artwork this Summer and I will keep you posted as we get hard dates on the exhibitions.
Until then, I have put together a short film documenting the process of making Vibrant Protest: Liberty. It contains some footage from earlier videos, and new images from contributed from our fans who participated in the rinse event
-Jerel
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
4-4-2013
15 bytes a Utah's Arts Magazine - Why Not.
Shawn Rossiter did a wonderful write up and interview with Inez recently. He published the video and story in the April 2013 edition of 15 bytes Magazine - Page 9.
Here is a little teaser of the article written by Shawn:
...Despite all this, Harwood considers herself lucky, because unlike many TBI survivors who end up clinically depressed, she says she ended up "sunny side up." "I'm clinically happy," is her cheerful quip about her condition...
-Jerel
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
3-12-2013
Pan-O-Rama
While we compile pictures from the Rinse Event last week, I wanted to post a couple of panorama shots we have put together.
The first shot is from the rinse, taken from standing down in the retaining pond. Thank you again to the Utah Valley University: Emergency Services Academy for their time and effort rinsing Liberty.
-Jerel
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
3-8-2013
Local News Coverage
I'm taking a quick moment to link to some of the news reports covering Vibrant Protest. Christina Rendon from ABC4 Utah has done a phenomenal job covering our story and the Vibrant Protest: Liberty project. Christina's coverage can be found at the following links along with videos of their broadcasts:
-Jerel
Search for U.S. fabric a challenge in creating world record tie-dye
Orem woman overcomes odds to create world record art project
Orem volunteers are making world's longest tie-dye
The Daily Herald in Provo, Utah posted a beautiful photo spread of the rinse day.
Photos: World's longest tie dye at UVU
Colorful complaint: Project protests state of textile industry
Our hometown newspaper back in Grass Valley, California; The Union, published a story about Inez and Vibrant Protest: Liberty
Color in book: Grass Valley native maker seeks tie-dye world record
Utah's Fox 13 also did a quick story on rinse day.
UVU sends message with 3,153-foot tie-dye project
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
3-7-2013
Rinse day – All Day
Not sure what words to write for this post. I think Inez and I are still processing the day's events and will have to write more over the next couple of days. Until then these pictures will have to suffice, besides, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, and if that is true then this will be a 111,000 word post. Enjoy the images we had a great day.
Vibrant Protest: Liberty's first stop will be the Woodbury Art Museum in Orem, Utah.
The opening reception is March 26th and it will be on display until April 27, 2013.
-Jerel
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
3-6-2013
Tomorrow is The Big Day!!!
I should really be in bed right now, getting the rest I will need for tomorrow's event. With the help of some dear friends we were able to get the tie-dye loaded in the truck and ready to take to UVU tomorrow morning. Along with loading Liberty, Inez was interviewed by Christina Rendon a reporter for ABC4 here in Utah.
Christina did a wonderful story covering some of our history prior to doing this tie-dye. I was able to get some footage from the story that was broadcast this evening and posted it to our youtube channel for those of you who missed the story. The resolution is a little rough…
I hope you enjoy it. And wish us luck for the big event tomorrow.
-Jerel
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
2-28-2013
One Week to Go!
We are one week out from the rinse event at Utah Valley University on March 7th.
Inez has completed the dye process and has moved on to working her special magic on the tie-dye adding her own elements and using her crystallization technique to really make the colors that Dharma Trading sent us *pop*. All of us around the studio are getting very excited to see Liberty once it is rinsed and stretched. There have been many hours of back-breaking labor and love put into Liberty. The images below cannot adequately convey the size of this project. Each bundled spiral in the fabric is 5 feet in diameter and the full length of Liberty tied has been doubled back on itself. There is approximately 1000 pounds of fabric, dye and zip-ties pictured in the photos below.
While Inez has been dying Liberty she has also been dying Shirts from the same dye batches. The shirts are made from 100% Domestic Cotton, Milled and Sewn in the USA. If you are interested in obtaining one of these shirts to proudly display your own Vibrant Protest, or just to show your love of Tie-Dye contact us, they are $25 each + shipping. There are a limited quantity of these shirts available.
We will need your help to rinse and stretch Liberty for the measure event next week at UVU, if you want to help use the form on the contact us page to register for the rinse zone. We look forward to seeing you there.
-Jerel
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
2-25-2013
Word is getting out!
Inez was featured on a local news channel this past Friday March 22nd at our studio open house.
Thank you to ABC4 Utah, Christina Rendon & Tyler Gibbons for coming down and helping us get the word out about Liberty.
Inez and I also want to express a sincere thank you to Luana Turetzky and her family for putting the block party together and supporting us in our effort to break a world record and raise awareness about US Domestic Cotton.
The following is the initial live report from Friday evening. We will update the post with the 10 PM report when it is posted.
-Jerel
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
2-23-2013
Orem volunteers are making world's longest tie-dye
Inez was interviewed yesterday evening for a local news channel, ABC 4. They have posted a story on their site about Inez's Project: Liberty.
Orem volunteers are making world's longest tie-dye.
Thank you to Christina for taking an interest in our project. We had a great time talking with her and sharing ourselves and this project with her. I will post again when the video from the interview is posted.
-Jerel
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
2-18-2013
A Good Day to Dye
I know, I know... Last week I told Inez that I was going to be cracking that joke when she started applying the dye to Liberty and she gave me the *one eye*, a look that said, "You'd better not…"
Today marks the beginning of the dye application. Thanks to Dharma we got all of the dye we needed last week and we were able to spend the weekend doing last-minute preparations for the dye process. As we were grocery shopping Saturday evening Inez and I were going over concerns we had about dying Liberty while it was sitting on its drop-cloths (plastic sheeting) on the floor. Inez did not want Liberty to sit in the puddles of runoff color, muddying up the fabric. We spent some time shooting ideas back and forth on what we could do and then looking up at the storage racks in the store the idea hit us, that the wire racking they used on their shelving would be perfect for what we needed. This morning (Monday) I did a little research and found a company up in Salt Lake City that stocked the racking we needed and picked up two sections. The racking fits perfect over the troughs we used for dye-prep and work perfectly for keeping Liberty raised out of the dye runoff. I love those little moments of inspiration when they hit us and we are able to see a simple solution to a potentially perplexing problem.
Inez was also joined by a couple of volunteers today to help her to move the fabric and tie shirts that we bought for the event. The shirts are amazing. We bought them through Dharma Trading Co. they are Made in the USA, sewn in Los Angeles. I have included a picture of the tag from the shirt. The quality of the shirts is impeccable, the stitching is the highest quality that I have seen on a t-shirt and the fabric is a wonderful heavy weight cotton.
-Jerel
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
2-14-2013
Thank you to Dharma Trading Co!
We wanted to give a special thank you to one of our newest sponsors, Dharma Trading, Co. They have been our source for dyes and supplies for over a year now. We are grateful for their support in our attempt to break the World Record and spread our message of, "Invest in America, Buy Domestic."
We got our "Care Package" from Dharma today. It is chocked full of the supplies we need to dye the fabric. Inez has come to trust and depend on the quality of dye that Dharma supplies. When she began using their products it opened new vistas in her work that we didn't have before Inez found them. Dharma has graciously donated the dye we need for this world record attempt.
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
2-13-2013
Video - The story so far!
We have posted another video on Youtube chronicling the progress of Vibrant Protest thus far. We are excited to share with you the work that has been going on. We still need your help to complete this project.
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
2-9-2013
Thank you to C-A-L Ranch - American Fork
We wanted to shout out a big thank you to C-A-L Ranch in American Fork, Utah for their support of our project!
The process of tying the fabric was completed the end of last week and we have moved on to the pre-dye preparation of the fabric. This process is a tedious job of soaking the fabric in solution in large troughs provided to us by C-A-L Ranch. After the fabric is soaked in the solution it is laid out to dry, waiting for the next step in the process to occur.
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
1-28-2013
The move to Wise Guys
Today we moved the tie-dye today to Wise Guys in Wolverine Crossing. Thank you to all of our friends that made this move possible. Without your help it would have been a truly daunting task.
The studio space we that had been lent to us was being leased out and we needed to move the tie-dye to another space within the same complex. We asked for anyone who could make it to meet at our space on January 28th. Once the fabric was lifted and outside we could not put it down until it was in the other studio. The tying of the fabric was mostly completed by the time of the move. The tied fabric is around 100 yards long, and again it weighs 850 pounds.
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
1-27-2013
Tying up the giant bolt of fabric
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
1-18-2013
A short interview about the world's longest tie dye
This is a short interview with artist Inez Cummins Harwood that highlights a few details about the project. More to come in the next eight weeks.
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
1-17-2013
Moving into a heated studio!
Thank you to Wolverine Crossings for the studio space. It is good to be out of the unheated studio at home, especially with the temperatures plummeting the way they have been. All of Jerel's glazes have frozen solid. We moved the drill of fabric from our unheated studio to the one at Wolverine Crossings so I can begin tying it in preparation for the big event. I shot this short video documenting the move. Jerel built the ramps and frame for the drill.
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
1-15-2013
Fun facts about the project
- Weighs approximately 950 pounds
- Requires 10,000 rubber-bands
- 125 pounds of dye (dry weight)
- Requires over 300 people to lift it when wet.
- 5 foot 5 inches high and 3120 feet long (250+ feet longer then current world record held by Tokushima Japan at 2739 feet five inches. 2008)
Check out the website at: www.vibrantprotest.com.
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