This beautiful film, “Try It and See: The Story Behind the Discovery of Mushroom Dyes,” captures the early history of mushroom dyeing as told by Dorothy Beebee, Miriam Rice’s close friend and colleague in all things mushroom. Dorothy’s sensitive pen-and-ink scientific drawings appear in each of Miriam’s books, showing the love and excitement in their shared discoveries that photography simply can’t capture.
In this loving tribute produced by her children, Myra and Martin Beebee, Dorothy gives us a behind the scenes look into the discovery of mushroom dyes, the documentation of her work with Miriam in three books, and her thoughts on the future of mushroom dyes.
“Try It and See” premiered at the Mendocino Film Festival on June 1, 2024 and can be streamed here or on YouTube.
An exhibit, “MUSHROOMS | COLOR | ART AND CRAFT,” was mounted at the Mendocino Art Center to run concurrently with the premiere of the film. It celebrated Dorothy’s 50 years of research with her original notebook pages and drawings. In addition, the exhibit featured mushroom-dyed textiles from the collection of the IMDI, along with other foragers and dyers in Mendocino.
The Mendocino coast was perfect for mushroom exploration as the wet winters and mild climate produce an enormous variety and abundance of fungi species. An accidental discovery in the 1960s by Miriam Rice, an artist from Mendocino, California, led to the unlocking of the full spectrum of color from mushrooms. Miriam would later write the first book on using mushrooms as a new source of natural dyes in the 1970’s called “Let’s Try Mushrooms for Color.” This groundbreaking dye book was illustrated by Dorothy Beebee. They went on to work together on two more books detailing their research.
For more information about the history of mushroom dyes in Northern California, visit www.mushroomsforcolor.com/history.
Find Miriam’s videos on mushroom for color and paper, visit https://rayandmiriamrice.com/videos-on-mushrooms-for-color-and-paper/