Canada: Meet the prof on a mission to revive flax and linen production in Nova Scotia
Katherine Carey, the farm’s co-ordinator, said it would not have been possible to start the crop at the urban farm without Green’s help.
By Taryn Grant
CBC News
Oct 20, 2023
Excerpt:
Last year, Green set out to help local farmers grow and process flax. She’s tapped into grants from Research Nova Scotia, Arts Nova Scotia and the provincial government to pay for the work, which so far includes 21 farms scattered between the South Shore and the Margaree Valley of Cape Breton.
She travels around the province in a cargo van, dubbed the Flaxmobile, to meet farmers on their land and teach them the ins and outs of flax production.
Green was driven to start her project through her experience as a textile designer. She’s also an associate professor of textiles and fashion at NSCAD University.
She said the lack of local materials is a roadblock for craftspeople in Nova Scotia because of the cost of importing from abroad.
“Not to mention,” she added, “if you’re really trying to make objects that evolve from your culture and place, it’s hard to be using yarns or materials from elsewhere to be telling those stories.”
