The International Mushroom Dye Institute (IMDI) is a non-profit organization that was created by Miriam C. Rice in 1985 to encourage the use of fungal pigments, to further research on their extraction and employment, to encourage research and cultivation of dye fungi, and to financially assist artists and researchers to participate in international symposia and exhibitions.
In 1968 Miriam began experimenting with making natural dye from fungi, and later developed watercolor pigments, crayons, and paper, all made from mushrooms. Thanks to Miriam, this remarkable research has been used and taught by fiber artists worldwide for the last 50 years.
Miriam believed in the potential of fungi pigments, that they could be applied not just to the arts, but to all aspects of color in our daily lives. She hoped that the dyes extracted from the natural world would be less toxic for the environment than those produced by industrial chemical plants, the aniline dyes of modern life.
In 1985 Miriam established the non-profit organization, the IMDI, to further research and education into pigments found in mushrooms and their applications. To this end, the IMDI uses funds raised by the sale of her book, Mushrooms for Dyes, Paper, Pigments & Myco-Stix™ to support the IMDI Travel Grant to international symposia and exhibition sponsored by IFFF .
The IMDI first published Mushrooms for Dyes, Paper, Pigments & Myco-Stix™ in 2007. The book details the history and science of the mushroom arts. It shows how to extract substances from fungi to make dyes, paper, watercolors, and crayons. The book is available from Fungi Perfecti domestically, with international sales through The Net Loft.
We have increased the number of grants from one to TWO! Apply to the 2025 symposium organizers on their site here.
The IMDI Travel Grant has helped individuals attend each IFFF Symposia since 1985. All funds raised by the sale of Miriam’s book, Mushrooms for Dyes, Paper, Pigments & Myco-Stix™ support keeping this important book in print and funding the IMDI Travel Grant.
The 2022 IMDI Travel Grant was awarded to Diāna Meiere of Latvia. Discover the full history of the IMDI Travel Grant with accounts of recipients’ experiences here.
Miriam’s door was always open to her ever-widening circle of friends of all ages. Artists and seekers, poets and writers, environmentalists and leftists found stimulating conversation and a smorgasbord of experimental culinary treats at her table. She was an intelligent, inquiring earth sprite and creative alchemist with a pot bubbling on the back of the stove at all times. Visit the website dedicated to Miriam’s life as an artist and as the “mother of mushroom dyes,” to discover her remarkable history.
The INTERNATIONAL MUSHROOM DYE INSTITUTE was established in 1985. The board of directors has been very stable over the years. As of 2023 we have three new board members! Learn more about the board HERE.
Welcome our new IMDI board member #1!
Alissa Allen is the founder of Mycopigments. She specializes in teaching about regional mushroom and lichen dye palettes to fiber artists and mushroom enthusiasts all over the world. Alissa got her start in the Pacific Northwest and has been sharing her passion for mushrooms for over 20 years. Her educational mission has brought together a vibrant community of over 30,000 members.
Welcome our new IMDI board member #2!
Myra Beebee is the daughter of Dorothy Beebee, the illustrator for Miriam Rice’s mushroom dye books. Her childhood was filled with dye mushrooms. Her own interest in the dye process grew as she became an adult. She began by dyeing with her Mom and now shares her experiments through a blog and a natural dye YouTube channel, Myra Made Color.
Welcome our new IMDI board member #3!
Anna Mieritz was a key member of the team that produced the 2020 IFFF Symposium in Port Townsend WA. She is a mushroom dyer, software designer, facilitator, and gardener. Anna lives in Moss Beach, California, where she volunteers in food distribution programs and serves on the board of Going to Seed, a seed program and online store.
By the late, great Miriam C. Rice, with illustrations by Dorothy M. Beebee
Back by popular demand! This book details the history, development, and science of mushroom arts. It both tells and shows how to extract substances from mushrooms that allow an artist to make textile dyes, paper sculpture or plain paper, watercolors and crayons for drawing. Beebee’s pen and ink drawings appear throughout and color photos of mushroom arts accompany each section.
Always eager to expand her knowledge of what she might find in natural substances, Rice devised a way to turn mushroom-extracted pigments into drawing tools, the result being her invention and development of “Myco-Stix™.” This book introduces this new drawing tool to artists everywhere.
Read book review by Julie Beeler of the Mushroom Color Atlas.
Mushrooms for Dyes, Paper, Pigments & Myco-Stix™ will delight, instruct, and inspire seasoned artists and newcomers alike.
In 2020 a massive fire storm in Central California destroyed our only source of income, the entire inventory of Miriam’s books. As a result the IMDI coffers were completely empty and we put out a call for support.
With your help we were able to repay loans that had enabled us to reprint the book and to fund the IMDI Travel Grant. Our deep thanks to Susan Maresco and all of you who donated so generously.
Domestic orders from Fungi Perfecti.
International orders from The Net Loft.
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Your contribution supports our mission.
This “Mushrooms for Color” website is sponsored by the International Mushroom Dye Institute (IMDI), founded by Miriam C. Rice in 1985. Miriam believed that people throughout the world would benefit from exploring the full spectrum of color derived from mushrooms.
The IMDI was established under IRS Code Section 501©(3) as a non-profit organization for educational purposes. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent as allowed by law.