The Blue in Our Veins

July 2 through September 6, 2025

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (last entrance at 3:00 p.m.)

The Kampong

Nestled in The Kampong — a historic garden cultivated by generations of plant explorers, The Blue in Our Veins is a poetic exploration on water, atmosphere, and our evolving relationships with the natural world.

The artists invite us through a journey between past and present guided by the hues of sky and sea. Like water coursing through the veins of plants and people, these tones serve as a connective thread – linking artworks, materials, and ideas. The exhibition invites contemplation and deep attention to the natural world.

Traditional and elemental substances such as rainwater, lapis lazuli, and indigo anchor the works. The alchemy of indigo, shifting from green to blue through fermentation and air, mirrors the subtle rhythms of the environment. Historic instruments are revisited through an artistic lens. Alexander von Humboldt’s cyanometer is revived to trace the shifting tones of Biscayne Bay. Cyanotypes, used initially by Anna Atkins to catalog sea algae, are reinterpreted here with impressions of The Kampong’s tropical flora, becoming poetic maps of memory and place.

The exhibition invites us to slow down and marvel through reflections on the currents that connect us. The Blue in Our Veins offers a quiet space for reflection — a moment to witness the interplay between pigment, history, and the living world.

Visitors to The Kampong can enjoy The Blue in Our Veins included in the price of admission for a garden tour. Parking is limited and online reservations are strongly encouraged. Reservations can be made via our online booking site. Email kampong@ntbg.org for additional information.

Join us for the opening reception on Thursday, July 17 from 6:00-8:00pm!

Works by Gracia Echenique, Megan James, Isabel Infante, and Veronica Buitron.

Associated events

Saturday, July 5, 2025
Connecting with the Color Blue Workshop 1: Indigo Shibori

In this introductory Indigo workshop, learn about the origins and processing of Indigo while experimenting with Shibori, a Japanese resist dyeing technique.

Learn more and register

Saturday, July 19, 2025
Cyanotype Sunlight Printing

Explore The Kampong and create tropical leaf prints using the cyanotype sunlight printing process, one of the earliest photographic printing techniques.

Learn more and register

Saturday, August 16, 2025
Upcycling with Cyanotype Printing

Upcycle your garments using the cyanotype printing technique. Gather leaves from The Kampong’s tropical collections to craft one-of-a-kind, nature-inspired patterns on your clothing.

Learn more and register

Saturday, August 30, 2025
Connecting with the Color Blue Workshop 2: Community Indigo Dip

Bring two pre-loved garments to renew by dyeing them in a natural indigo vat. Learn to tie, fold and wrap textiles using the Shibori resist dyeing technique to create beautiful patterns on your pieces.

Learn more and register

About the artists

Gracia Echenique, a Chilean visual artist based in Miami, centers her practice on the exploration of layered paint surfaces that, when peeled away, reveal new textures and tones as metaphors for memory. Inspired by the blues of the sea, she conducts cyanometric studies to capture its constant transformation and rich chromatic variations. Her work incorporates principles of kintsugi and the wabi-sabi philosophy, embracing imperfections and scars as symbols of beauty and the passage of time. Through this fusion of techniques and concepts, Echenique creates pieces that invite reflection on transformation, fragility, and the beauty of the ephemeral.

Isabel Infante is a textile artist who explores the intersections of craft, nature, and heritage. Her practice honors traditional techniques and materials through hand weaving and natural dyes while reimagining them with a contemporary perspective. She finds inspiration in the interplay between the structured grid of the loom and the organic qualities of natural materials. This dynamic tension between precision and spontaneity lies at the heart of her creative process, resulting in textiles that reinterpret heritage through a modern lens.

Miami-born artist Megan James creates ethereal paintings that capture the raw poetry of natural elements – from the rhythmic patterns of water to the sublime textures of the desert. Her work, which incorporates raw pigments, materials and rainwater gathered from specific locations, serves as a bridge between refined interior spaces and wild beauty. Through layered compositions that evolve with natural light, James invites viewers into a sensory dialogue with place, offering moments of contemplation within contemporary environments.

Veronica Buitron is an Ecuadorian designer and educator based in Miami, specialising in natural dyes and sustainable textiles. Her work delves into various traditional dyeing techniques, transforming cloth into unique pieces that reflect both the dyer’s hand and the external conditions—such as season, temperature, time, and water pH—under which the textiles are created. In her practice, Veronica embraces the ritualistic process of dyeing, intertwining the scientific and historical dimensions of textile culture that honor the land and the knowledge of artisan communities.

With the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.

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