This month the Women In The Making joined the Men In The Making at the St Petersburg College Allstate Center. Here these young women and their mentors spent the day “Batik Making”. Batik is both an art and a craft, which is becoming more popular and well-known in the West as a wonderfully creative medium. The art of decorating cloth in this way, using wax and dye, has been practiced for centuries. In Java, Indonesia, batik is part of an ancient tradition, and some of the finest batik cloth in the world is still made there. The word batik originates from the Javanese tik and means to dot.
To make a batik, selected areas of the cloth are blocked out by brushing or drawing hot wax over them, and the cloth is then dyed. The parts covered in wax resist the dye and remain the original color. This process of waxing and dyeing can be repeated to create more elaborate and colorful designs. After the final dyeing, the wax is removed and the cloth is ready for wearing or showing. This hands-on craft session was part of the tour of the world which included Mexico, Africa, and Jamaica. The young women experienced a mixed culturing enlightening as part of the “True Colors of Diversity activity.
