Museum and fine art customers seek sustainable fabrics

By Holly O’Dell

As with any textile application these days, end users in the museum and fine art markets continue to have an insatiable appetite for sustainable fabrics.

Andrew Oransky, director of product management for Roland DGA says, “fabric printing in general has been driven by users’ desire for greener products than PVC. Over time, this trend could drive canvas into many areas other than traditional art printing.”

Organizations such as the Madison Children’s Museum have begun initiatives to implement more environmentally friendly initiatives and practices. In several instances, The Madison Children’s Museum in Madison, Wisc. has used EcophabTM, a textile made from recycled soda bottles.

The opportunities for providing fabrics for the museum and fine art reproduction markets will continue to increase and the products surrounding this segment will improve as well. Paul Glynn, general manager at Portland Color, Portland, Maine, predicts that innovative uses of existing materials “will inspire the manufacturers to create more materials and better performing inks, allowing for archival imaging onto natural and organic materials.”

Holly O’Dell is a freelance writer based in Southern California.