Press Release: Pattern Keepers, Batchelder Nature In Relief Workshop Series
A Three-Part Exploration Of Ornamental Traditions and Contemporary Practice
PASADENA, CA — Folk Lounge, in collaboration with Pasadena Heritage, is thrilled to announce a three-part workshop series exploring the ornamental legacy of Ernest Batchelder through hands-on creative practice, community engagement, and local ecological connection. Made possible in part by the Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division. Led by artist and cultural sustainability practitioner Shagho, this series emerges from deep archival research and curiosity to explore local histories.
The Journey To Batchelder
Shagho's discovery of Batchelder began with open archives work at the Pasadena History Museum, where she encountered his two pioneering textbooks on ornamentation and pattern-making—theory and instruction books that spoke directly to her practice as a multidisciplinary artist seeking to understand ornamental traditions as living, generative systems rather than historical artifacts. The manufacturing catalog for his company was equally rich of ideas and application. She also discovered that the museum had put out a call to citizens across North America to collect a Batchelder tile registry and that idea to bring more visibility to the database called her to apply for the city’s individual artist grant.
This research deepened through visits to the Huntington Museum, where Shagho studied William Morris and the Kelmscott Press, exploring unfinished sketches and archival samples available through the museum's digitized collections. The digitization work of museums and archives became central to her vision where staff is working hard to making resources accessible to designers, artists, students, teachers, and everyday citizens essential cultural preservation work.
When Shagho discovered the Save The Tiles initiative last summer—a team assembled to rescue Batchelder work with fiscal sponsorship from Pasadena Heritage—she felt called to something larger: perhaps it’s time for people and creatives to connect with this medium and create new lineages.
From the artist: “Ernest Batchelder remains a mysterious figure in many ways. We know his name, we've heard of his tiles, yet there's no clear map showing where his work is located throughout our city. His Wikipedia page is sparse; the fuller story emerges through scattered articles, blog posts, and archival materials. It is not super clear as well how to document your house as one.
As an artist and designer new to the world of tile, I wanted to approach his work thematically—taking time with each topic to connect what grounded his practice to what grounds ours now. Plants became the natural starting point: much of his work celebrates trees and local species. In these workshops, we'll work with the shapes and colors around us, developing handbuilding skills for pattern and ornamentation—learning to layer motifs and use intensity as a language. How do we generate decoration? How do we play with styling?
My two years of hosting Embroidery Socials across LA's parks have transformed my relationship to nature. What began as a simple idea—gathering at one park to finish projects together—evolved into something richer: exploring LA's beautiful destinations, discovering local spots, and connecting with creatives across different neighborhoods. Sitting in the land, with trees, watching the cycles of flowers and seasons, completely shifted how I see color, form, and the life around us.
When I discovered Batchelder's textbooks, I felt like a student again, learning the craft of ornamentation in an age of minimalism. Across a hundred years, I felt connected to someone practicing the same deep looking at nature that I'm learning now. These workshops invite us all to practice that same attention—to find awe and delight in what we often take for granted while rushing through our city.
I'm deeply grateful for this collaboration with Pasadena Heritage and their thoughtful team. Working with Executive Director Bridget and Director of Programs Nick on this series, and planning additional programming for next year, has affirmed the importance of this work and the power of institutions that genuinely connect past and future to the present moment.”
The Workshop Series
Grounded in Batchelder's pioneering approach to pattern-making and ornamentation, these workshops invite participants to practice deep looking, noticing, and creative expression while connecting with the natural world around us. Each session features guest speakers, creative exercises, and a main project designed to build practical skills and cultural understanding. All of the events are listed on the website with tickets to purchase on Eventbrite.
Class 1: Plants
Saturday, December 20 | 2–5pm
Guest Speaker: Loren Feder, Development Engagement Manager at TreePeople
Learn about open archives, Batchelder, dreaming new worlds through ornament. Explore techniques to use local plants as inspiration for ornamental work.
Class 2: Birds
Saturday, January 17 | 2–5pm
Guest Speaker: Community Engagement Liaison, Pasadena Audubon Society
Learn about open archives, Batchelder, dreaming new worlds through ornament. Explore techniques to use birds as inspiration for ornamental work.
Class 3: Cosmos
Saturday, January 31 | 2–5pm Guest Speaker: Exploring the Mycoverse
Learn about open archives, Batchelder, dreaming new worlds through ornament. Explore techniques to use birds as inspiration for ornamental work.
For images, logos, and downloadable resources, visit the Folk Lounge press page: https://www.folklounge.com/press
Shagho
Shagho is a multidisciplinary design leader, artist, and cultural practitioner who works at the frontiers of innovation and community. She is also a founder of Folk Lounge, hosting Embroidery Socials around LA.
Folk Lounge
Folk Lounge is a cultural sustainability practice hosting contemplative embroidery gatherings across LA County parks. Founded on the belief that craft practice, community gathering, and attention to local nature are essential acts of cultural preservation, Folk Lounge creates space for strangers to meet, create, and connect with both heritage and place.
Pasadena Heritage
Pasadena Heritage preserves and celebrates Pasadena's architectural and cultural legacy, connecting the past and present through education, advocacy, and community engagement.
Events
Ready to dive deeper? Join our community of master artisans, cultural stewards, and creative practitioners exploring the intersection of traditional craft and contemporary life. Classes, intensives, and ceremonial gatherings across LA and online for artists, designers, crafters, illustrators, and makers of all backgrounds and levels. Our programs unite ancient wisdom with contemporary practice, cultivating living heritage through embodied craft, storytelling through making, communion with nature, cultural preservation, meditative practice, and the celebration of life's luminous beauty.
