The “Color of Place” with Diana Eusebio
Diana Eusebio, Matriarca (Aguacate), Photograph digitally printed on cotton fabric naturally dyed with avocado seeds, 7 × 5 inches (2023)
Diana Eusebio is a Peruvian-Dominican textile artist based in Miami. Exploring color and its cultural significance, she researches natural dyed textiles from Indigenous Latin American and Afro-Caribbean traditions, and their connection to nature and role as carriers of ancestral wisdom.
To help launch Season Seven with intention, we’ve invited Diana to design one of her beloved fabric-dyeing workshops for new and returning members. As we consider the roles that collecting art plays in stewardship and preserving our stories, the artist’s practice is a joyful opportunity to celebrate our journey.
Commissioner’s Claudia Des Rosiers recently connected with Diana to talk about her work, the creative process, and her vision for Miami.
Claudia Des Rosiers (CD): You work across various mediums, including textiles, screenprinting, photography, and installation. Please walk us through your process—where do you start?
Diana Eusebio (DE): Many people assume that the way I transfer digital images onto fabric is through silkscreening, but it's actually done via digital printing. I take photos—sometimes a combination of images I’ve captured—and print them onto fabric.
My background started in fashion design, where I worked extensively with fabrics, people, and the body, fitting models and focusing on garment construction. From there, I transitioned into textiles, where I received formal training. Photography came into the picture as I explored ideas related to fashion and the way I envisioned my clothing within specific visual contexts. This interdisciplinary approach led to a combination of fabric and photography, which I now refer to as my textile practice.
CD: Research and memory are important aspects of your practice. Where do you find your materials, and what significance does the place they come from hold in your work?
DE: My work is a combination of archival and ancient practices with the present and, at times, the future. I think about the past a lot and am deeply committed to preserving natural dye practices. In a sense, it’s an act of archiving these traditions to ensure they are not forgotten so that others can continue this legacy.
“I often look to the past but explore it in contemporary ways, bridging the past and present. For instance, I use digital printing while integrating dyeing traditions that have existed for centuries.”
I often look to the past but explore it in contemporary ways, bridging the past and present. For instance, I use digital printing while integrating dyeing traditions that have existed for centuries.
CD: What is the relationship between color and place in your practice?
DE: The most important aspect of my research is discovering the color of place. For me, this concept encapsulates the variety of colors found in the different places I study. Specifically, I focus on Miami, the Dominican Republic, and Peru—three places I call home.
My mother is from Peru, my father is from the Dominican Republic, and I was born in Miami as a first-generation American. Much of my family's memories aren't tied to Miami but come from other places, and I grew up hearing these stories. Through color, I can explore places and begin to imagine these visuals and memories….I often look at old family photographs and reinterpret them through fabric by dyeing them or even taking new photos when I visit these places, including Miami. I then layer these new images with the colors of the past. It's all connected—whether through memories of the past or the present, my family and I are always tied to the land.
CD: What is one of your favorite stories related to natural dyes?
DE: Oh, definitely, the story of why red is my favorite color! It started when I was a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore. During our natural dye courses, we learned about a dye that produces red called cochineal, which is made from an insect. I remember being fascinated by it, and it brought back stories my mom had told me about her time in Peru. She would talk about how this insect grew abundantly in her backyard on cacti, and she would harvest it and sell it at the market because it created this beautiful red color. It was quite valuable, and she would use the money she earned to buy herself things like shoes or whatever she needed.
I put two and two together and realized the cultural significance, as well as how it was tied to my family history. I wanted both aspects—cultural and technical—to come together in my work.
I don’t want my practice to be only about technique because I think textile and dye education often leans heavily toward the technical side, almost like academia, rather than honoring the traditions, histories, family ties, and communities from which these practices originate. In the past, dyeing was a communal activity, not something done in isolation. My approach is holistic, encompassing the idea of color, community, and tradition.
CD: What is one aspect of your natural dye practice that surprises you every time?
DE: What I find most rewarding is that working with dye has taught me to let go. I’m naturally a planner—I like to think ahead and organize everything. I tend to overthink things, so this practice reminds me that as humans, we often try to control everything, especially nature. The process has also taught me to work through obstacles and embrace the unexpected. I’ve learned to let go of the need to control nature and instead, collaborate with it.
CD: What do you aspire to accomplish in Miami in the long term with your natural dye practice?
DE: I'm so glad you brought that up. It's an idea, and I'm not sure how it will come to fruition, but I want to share it and see what could come from it. I’ve been thinking about creating a textile art center and shared facility in Miami—a space for artists working with textiles to build a community around the craft.
Culturally, textiles have always been about community—it requires a lot of labor, and due to the social roles, women were expected to do domestic work, and enslaved people were also tasked with textile production. I would love to create a space in Miami where everyone can come together—use looms to weave fabric, have a dye kitchen to make colors, hold classes and workshops, have a garden, and offer residencies. It would also be a place where people curious about textiles can visit and learn from the community.
There are similar spaces in other cities like Baltimore and New York, and with Miami’s diverse cultural landscape, it only makes sense to help teach and preserve these practices. So very many people in Miami, with roots in Latin America and the Caribbean, possess a connection to these traditions.
This article has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Diana Eusebio, photo by Bryan Tinoco
About the artist
Diana Eusebio holds a BFA in Fiber from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She has presented her work at the MoMa, Hall of Nations, Gregg Museum of Art and Design, and Rubell Museum. Studio residencies include Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Aspen, CO; Red Hook Labs, NY, NY; Oolite Arts, Miami; AIRIE Fellowship, Everglades National Park; INDEX MECA Art Fair, Dominican Republic; Deering Estate Studio Residency, Miami. Awards include the Obama administration’s U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts–the highest national honor for a young artist, National YoungArts Jorge M. Perez $25,000 Award, and the inaugural Knight Artist Housing Award supporting her current two year studio residency at Oolite Arts in Miami Beach.