When art mimics nature

Celebrating connections to the natural world through renewable materials and ecological themes

Artists have long found inspiration in the beauty and complexity of the natural world. In northeastern Madagascar, our sister artisans mimic nature in their textile creations. In doing so, they honor rare species and elevate the call for new conservation approaches that serve both people and nature.

Mosaic textiles from mosaic landscapes

In the northeastern coastal region of Madagascar, landscapes are a mosaic of intact rainforest, forest fragments, agroforestry systems, shifting cultivation, and rice paddies. Tapestries created by local artisans from collaged wild silk cocoons mirror the patchwork landscape. In the last 50 years, half of Madagascar's remaining forest cover has been lost. Motivating farmers to cultivate native species in agricultural spaces can help make them habitable for endemic wildlife and support essential connectivity.

Avian inhabitants on the isolated island of Madagascar include around 280 bird species, of which many are endemic. There are fewer birds than one might expect to find on a land mass of this size. Scientists speculate that primates--Madagascar's famous lemurs--evolved to occupy ecological niches that many birds might otherwise have filled.

"Every tessera in these mosaic-like tapestries is a cocoon from which a wild silk moth took wing. What a remarkable thing."

- Rachel Kramer, CPALI Executive Director

Madagascar is a wonder of natural history. It's home to an estimated 400 species of frog. The vast majority are found nowhere else and are at risk of disappearing. The verdant green of this tree frog-inspired shibori-dyed wild silk tapestry comes from dyes that fix with vinegar and salt. The cocoon and moth pattern is an artistic nod to the farmer-led conservation efforts that sales of these textiles support.

On wet nights if you look and listen carefully, you might find a tomato frog near the artisans' workshop in the northeastern coastal town of Maroantsetra. These frogs are a vibrant red with mottled skin, much like this dyed, tightly-woven Betsimisaraka raffia palm textile.

Madagascar has many species of fascinating spider, including orb weavers, pelican spiders, and jumping spiders. CPALI's founder, evolutionary biologist Dr. Catherine Craig, is an expert in spider silk. She pivoted her focus to other silk producers--Madagascar's rainforest silk moths--in search of new incentives for conserving endemic insects and their host plants. Local artisans produce web-patterned hand-dyed woven raffia panels that are reminiscent of these remarkable arachnids.

Madagascar's giant fire millipedes are a striking sight on the rainforest floor. They have a distinctive red striped appearance and curl up into a spiral for defense from predators. They're detritivores--they feed only on decaying leaves and decomposing vegetation or organic matter. Unlike the island's centipedes, they are not venomous. Local artisans produce hand-dyed raffia runners that are reminiscent of these gentle giant arthropods.

Tenrecs are found only in Madagascar and are among the few terrestrial mammals that echolocate--helping them navigate and locate their prey using sound, like bats. Most are dependent on forest habitat. Resist-dyed raffia runners mimic the spines of the small black and yellow lowland streaked tenrec.

Madagascar's iconic radiated tortoises are critically endangered due to habitat loss, consumption, and the illegal wildlife trade. They are remarkable for their long lifespan. It's fitting that our sister artisans honor them with resist-dyed "tortoiseshell" patterns in woven raffia loomed with technique passed down through generations.

The artisan team behind these textiles celebrates International Women's Day in Maroantsetra, Madagascar in March 2025. (Photo credit: SEPALI Madagascar)

The figures in this blog post originally appeared as part of an exhibit at Whitman College in 2017 curated by Dr. Catherine Craig. Featured images of Madagascar wildlife are courtesy of Nick Garbutt. Pictured wild silk and raffia textiles were produced by the talented artisans of Sehatry ny Mpamokatra Landy Ifotony (Organization of Wild Silk Producers) Madagascar, the local sister organization of CPALI.ORG. Through our collaborative nature-based social enterprise, TA'NA'NA, our non-profit organizations support conservation through poverty alleviation in rural Madagascar. These handcrafted textiles are available from Tananasilk.com and in select museum stores, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art gift shop in Washington, DC.