Kayla Powers

fiber art

06/12/2026

Elemental Ephemera opens June 18th at Taos Center for the Arts from 4-6pm! I’m so excited to share this new body of work alongside Gillian Moore

Inflorescence, 2026
Cotton, h**p, silk, embroidery thread, 35mm film photos, cochineal, juniper, dried flowers, drop cloth
74 x 44 x 2 in

05/06/2026

I’m very excited to show some new work in Taos next month!

This piece is part of a new body of work using photography printed on fabric alongside naturally dyed fibers and hand embroidery and it will be part of a two person exhibition with .studio at Opening June 18th 4-6pm 🪨

𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘙𝘰𝘤𝘬, 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘰, 2026
Cotton, silk, embroidery thread, 35mm film photo printed on cotton, juniper roots, iron, drop cloth
22 x 26 x 2 inches

04/20/2026

I’m looking forward to being back in Michigan for the closing of my exhibition 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩 🌼 I’m giving a talk this Friday April 24th at if you’re interested! Making these flowers (each one dyed with plants and hand sewn) kept me busy for most of last year and I learned so much in the process.

AND our collaborative piece 𝘚𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 was such a beautiful reminder of the power of making and collective action and abundance and generosity. I put a call out for sunflower seed shaped fabric seeds and you all responded with more than 1600 seeds from around the world 🥹 everyone who visited the exhibition was invited to take one home. For free! A literal and metaphorical representation of The Gift Economy (described by Robin Wall Kimmerer).

I really think we have more in common than we’re made to believe and we need each other 🫂🌏

04/03/2026

It has been an incredible two weeks here in South Africa 🌺 One of the worlds most biologically diverse countries! From the moment I arrived I could feel the abundance and only wish I had more time to explore.

This palette is a reflection of this very moment in time and place. The plants were ethically and sustainably foraged (meaning that no plants were harmed! Meaning I just scrounged around on the ground for fallen flowers and leaves 🐿️ ). I used raw silk from (sorry I cut up a curtain 🙈) and organic cotton from and I mordanted the fabric with alum (on the left) and iron (on the right).

I’m just using the plants common names here. I’m so curious what their local names are as that often gives us some insight into the ways humans relate to them.

Swipe to the end for the zoomed out balcony photo realness.

03/10/2026

Prickly pear cactus turns purple/pink in the winter as a stress response to environmental conditions. In this case, the purple pigments (anthocyanins) protect the plant from the cold. At the same time, the tail end of winter, the plums are starting to blossom the same purple/pink flowers. This new body of work is an exploration of these synchronous moments. There are so many other forms of intelligence out there. So much to learn from our environment.

Plum Blossoms and Prickly Pear, 2026
Cotton, linen, silk, cheesecloth, embroidery thread, cochineal, 35mm photos printed on cotton
40 x 47 x 2 inches

I collected cochineal from many many prickly pear cacti to make the color on the fabric and embroidery thread in this piece. And there are some double exposed photos of plum
blossoms printed on fabric 🌸

This body of work will be exhibited in Taos, New Mexico this summer. More to come!

02/24/2026

I just submitted this clip as part of a grant application and thought I’d share it here, too. Grant filmed this for my current exhibition at Saugatuck Center for the Arts (up until May 8th!)

01/26/2026

Ropes, 2025
cotton, linen, silk, wool, natural dyes, maple wood

Hand dyed and painted with natural materials, woven, sewn and stuffed with fabric and yarn scraps and wool roving.

☁️

My work is first and foremost about connection - to the earth, to craft, and to each other. My choice to work with natural materials and to utilize the slow processes of foraging, dyeing, weaving, and stitching is in direct opposition to the mainstream, capitalist prioritization of speed, growth, and efficiency.

To cultivate connection requires openness, vulnerability, and sensitivity. But being open in this current world is fu***ng hard. Still though, I think we know that we have to continue to love and care as deeply as possible.

This is a bit of a rant but my dog just died and the government is attacking its people and sometimes making art can feel futile but I trust that seeking out beauty and peace is always worthwhile. 🙏🏼

01/21/2026

Hi from New York 🙂 What a delight to get to show some work at in SoHo alongside so many incredible artists.

I wove both of these pieces in 2025 with natural and secondhand fibers and plant (and cochineal) dyed yarn, the first one during a residency at and the second during a residency at with support from the Norwegian Textile Artist Association. The wooden headers were both custom made by my friend

Thank you to Lisa, Athena, and Nicole for all the work you do to highlight women artists ❤️

01/18/2026

We said goodbye to sweet Maple girl yesterday 💔 She was such a huge part of our lives for the past 11 years. Life won’t be the same without her. Thank you for loving her with us 🫂

Address

Santa Fe, NM
87500-87599

Website

http://www.kaylapowers.studio/

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