a history and context of the kudzu vine, & "from the earth: kudzu" exhibition recap
- Kentuck
- Jun 30
- 8 min read
*This is a guest blog post by Ivy Borden. Ivy also has artwork in the exhibition!*
“From the Earth: Kudzu” is now on display at Kentuck’s Museum Gallery and features artwork, hands-on stations, and educational material created and gathered by four Southern artists working closely with the infamous and iconic kudzu vine. The show will be up through July 31st, allowing visitors to explore the creative problem-solving of artists Lauren “LB” Bacchus, Ivy Borden, Beth Phillips, and Alyssa Sacora, hopefully inspiring those who visit the gallery to view their own environments with enlivened faith and collaborative potential. Before you head out to see the exhibition, read through this blog to learn a little more about the story behind kudzu’s journey across oceans, fields, and time to become the misunderstood legend it is today.
Kudzu is considered an “invasive species” in the U.S., meaning it both has origins outside of this country's geographical landscape and poses a threat to the ecological and societal well-being of local places. The artists in this exhibition argue that kudzu’s now naturalized growth could be more sustainably integrated into both nature and society if more people learned to use it the way it has been used for millennia throughout Asia. Perhaps the earliest mention of kudzu as a natural resource can be found in the Analects, attributed to Confucius, which were written in China around 500 BC. In this text, we find mention of kudzu cloth, a type of cloth made from the silky-papery bast fibers of the kudzu vine. In addition to cloth from the vines, all parts of kudzu can be utilized. This includes the root, which can be ground into a starchy powder for food and medicine, the blossoms, which can be brewed into tea and made into jelly, down to the very tips of the vine, which can be stir-fried and eaten like asparagus.
In the U.S., however, the vine was introduced for different purposes. During the popularity of World’s Fairs, extravagant displays of national identity and cultural otherness, kudzu first appealed to the fantasies of Victorian gazes at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. There, the vibrant red-purple blossoms were on view in the Japanese pavilion but were quickly burned after the event's closing. It was not until the 1930s that kudzu began to truly spread throughout the South, and at the time, this was entirely the doing of the U.S. government. In response to the Dust Bowl, brought on by years of unsustainable farming practices, including plantation-based agriculture, the topsoil through much of the Midwest and parts of the Southeast was eroding into thick air. The deep taproot of the kudzu vine, along with its nitrogen-fixing properties, makes it adept at holding topsoil against the earth and preventing erosion. The U.S. paid farmers $8 (around $150 today) for every acre of kudzu they cultivated. From then on, kudzu, invited by our nation's government, made a home for itself in the unsustainability of our nation’s agricultural practices. The irony of it now being disdained as a useless, overpowering, invasive species is pungent.
This vine is still being harvested today throughout the world as a useful material, perhaps most notably at the Oigawa Kuzu-Fu Studio in Shimada, Japan. In this studio, the Murai family creates magnificent cloth and leads annual workshops for the global public to come and learn not only how to use kudzu sustainably, but also about the vital importance of working closely with people and the environment to create materials that are good for both our bodies and our earth. This studio has had a direct influence on each artist in this exhibition, and samples of Oigawa Studio cloth are on display throughout the show.
“It is deeply moving to see how the spirit of Oigawa Kuzu-fu is now inspiring new seeds of creativity across the ocean.”
- Ryoko Murai in response to “From the Earth: Kudzu”
The exhibition on kudzu creativity hosted by Kentuck, and especially its accompanying kudzu fiber workshop hosted by Beth Phillips and Ivy Borden, is significant as it is the first event of its kind to take place in Alabama. However, further north, journeying into Appalachia, kudzu has been wonderously embraced by the crafty spirit of North Carolina for years. There, organizations such as Kudzu Culture (directed by Lauren “LB” Bacchus) and The Patchwork Underground (directed by Alyssa Sacora) have been working hard to spread the word on kudzu’s many uses and plentiful symbolic wisdom, including hosting kudzu processing workshops and generating online databases for the kudzu-curious.
The mission of organizations like Kudzu Culture and the Patchwork Underground is to remind people that we are one with nature, including our “man-made” societies. Kudzu’s complex histories of migration and interaction with human systems demonstrate the way that nature and humanity are entangled together. Responding to this complexity with care and curiosity has just as much implication on ecological health as it does on societal health, on the ways people choose to confront the problems caused by decisions made by people in the distant past and their ripples into the present day. Referencing the more grim histories of our nation’s past that many would prefer to forget and ignore, Beth Phillips describes this literal and metaphorical connection:
“You can’t kill it, like you can’t kill kudzu. It just keeps coming back unless you deal with it the right way. You dig it up and you deal with it. And the South is like that. We have to dig stuff up. We have to have it in our face.”
- Beth Phillips
Head to Kentuck before July 31st to get some kudzu in your face! For more reading on kudzu’s history and its contemporary interpretations, check out the reading list and website links below.
A, Shifting Forms, Alyssa Sacora, woven tapestry with wool, cotton, and all thingskudzu (bast fibers, handmade paper, vine bark), 18"h x 16"w, EX-KCAS-02, $435
B, Kudzu: Interlocking Fibers, Alyssa Sacora, Weaving, paper and thread made from kudzu fibers, 32” x 9” x 0.5”, EX-KCAS-01, $380
C, kuzu-fu, Ivey Borden, kudzu fiber weft, cotton warp, 26 x 12 cm, EX-IB-01, $0
D, London Walk III, Ivey Borden, kudzu fiber, rusted sheet metal from River Thames, menthol cigarette filters, small golden crown pendant, pacifier, 18 x 41 cm, EX-IB-05, $250
E, funerary ritual for dad, Ivey Borden, kudzu fiber weft, hand-spun natural dyed wool weft, indigo cotton weft, cotton warp, magnetic My Little Pony toy wand, Corona beer cap, father’s cremation ID tag, father’s hair, boa constrictor snake shed, 23 x 89 cm, EX-IB-03, $0
F, travel log, Ivey Borden, kudzu fiber weft, raffia fiber weft, wool weft, cotton warp, broken hair clip, sea glass from Japan, notebook writings from father (deceased), pigeon feather from Italy, operculum shell from Japan, shark eggs from England, 2008 keychain from English airpo, 23 x 115 cm, EX-IB-02, $0
H, Emergence, Beth Phillips, kudzu fiber dyed with marigold and turmeric on kudzu leaf paper, 7.5" x 11", EX-BP-08, $250
I, Growth Spiral, Beth Phillips, kudzu fiber, kudzu core, kudzu vine, kudzu-fu, daylily, 1930s wallpaper on driftwood, 23" x 7", EX-BP-02, $125
K, 1st Kudzu Angel, Beth Phillips, Kudzu, Crepe Myrtle, spar-urethane, , EX-BP-13, $50
L, Kudzu Thing #1, Beth Phillips, Cowbone vertebrae, crepe myrtle branch, kudzu vine, dyed Kudzu, Kudzu bast cordage and fiber, 27"x12", EX-BP-14, $165
M, Kudzu Thing #2, Beth Phillips, Cowbone vertebrae, crepe myrtle branch, kudzu vine, dyed Kudzu, Kudzu bast cordage and fiber, 23"x10", EX-BP-15, $135
N, Faded Heart, Beth Phillips, Kudzu core fiber, Kudzu leaf paper, Kudzu bast fiber, circa 1900 iron barrel ring, 11", EX-BP-16, $110
O, Inception, Beth Phillips, kudzu fiber, kudzu leaf paper on 1908 barrel wood, 18" x 5.5", EX-BP-01, $140
Q, Burgeoning, Beth Phillips, honeysuckle root, kudzu, kudzu fiber , chicken egg on osage orange bark, 28" x 8" x 7", EX-BP-05, $175
R, Hey, look, Beth Phillips, kudzu vine, kudzu core, basil roots, driftwood, 10" x 10" x 10", EX-BP-09, $175
S, Bloom Where You Are Planted, Beth Phillips, kudzu-fu, kudzu fiber, kudzu vine, osage orange, driftwood, 1930s wallpaper on tin, 28" x 26" x 9", EX-BP-03, $450
T, Free form open weave kudzu basket, Beth Phillips, kudzu vine, kudzu bark, spar-urethane, 14", EX-BP-07, $85
U, Here, Hold my Guitar, Beth Phillips, natural and avocado dyed kudzu fiber, kudzu leaf paper, kudzu core, kudzu bark over acoustic guitar body, 38" x 15" x 4", EX-BP-04, $1500
V, Free form open weave kudzu basket, Beth Phillips, kudzu vine, kudzu bark, spar-urethane, 21", EX-BP-06, $125
W, Hatchling, Lauren Bacchus, Kudzu, kozo, Mounted on Paper 8.5" x 11", EX-KCLB-03, $40
X, We were shepherds; we were spiders, Lauren Bacchus, Kudzu, wool, spider silk, Wallhanging 2' x 2', EX-KCLB-05, $55
Y, Kudzu Full Moon, Lauren Bacchus, Kudzu, kozo, Mounted on Paper 8.5" x 11", EX-KCLB-01, $40
Z, Paperwasp, Lauren Bacchus, Kudzu, kozo, paper wasp nest, 7" x 8", EX-KCLB-04, $40
AA, Kudzu Adornment 1, Lauren Bacchus, Kudzu bast fiber, ss plated copper, Earrings Pair, EX-KCLB-06, $28
BB, Kudzu Adornment 2, Lauren Bacchus, Kudzu bast fiber, ss plated copper, found object, Earrings Pair, EX-KCLB-07, $28
CC, Kudzu Adornment 3, Lauren Bacchus, Kudzu bast fiber, ss plated copper, recycled glass bead, Earrings Pair, EX-KCLB-08, $28
DD, Kudzu Adornment 4, Lauren Bacchus, Kudzu bast fiber, ss plated chain, recycled glass bead, Necklace, EX-KCLB-09, $28
EE, Kudzu Adornment 5, Lauren Bacchus, Kudzu bast fiber, ss plated copper, recycled glass bead, Necklace, EX-KCLB-10, $28
FF, Kudzu Adornment 6, Lauren Bacchus, Kudzu bast fiber, ss plated copper, recycled glass bead, Single Earrings, EX-KCLB-11, $14
Sold, Illuminated kudzu sphere, Beth Phillips, kudzu vine, reclaimed lamp parts, alcohol ink, spar-urethane, 17" diameter, EX-BP-11, $125
Sold, kudzu and wool wheel of fortune, Ivey Borden, kudzu fiber weft, hand spun undyed wool weft, cotton warp, tree branch, 51 x 102 cm, EX-IB-04, $500
Sold, Kudzu Lampshade, Beth Phillips, Kuedzu vine over reclaimed wire shade, spar-urethane, 18"x16", EX-BP-12, $125
Footnotes and citations:
Alderman, Derek H. “A Vine for Postmodern Times: An Update on Kudzu at the End of the 20th Century.” Southeastern Geographer 38, no. 2 (1998): 167-179.
Alderman, Derek H. “Channing Cope and the Making of a Miracle Vine.” Geographical Review 94, no. 2 (2004): 157-177. https://www.jstor.org/stable/30033969.
Blaustein, Richard J. “Kudzu’s Invasion into Southern United States Life and Culture.” In The Great Reshuffling: Human Dimensions of Invasive Species, ed. J. A. McNeeley. Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: The World Conservation Union, 2001: 55-62.
Borden, Ivy. “Entangled Among Things: Kudzu As a Creative Medium in Contemporary Southern Art.” University of Alabama Libraries (2024). https://ir.ua.edu/handle/123456789/14382.
Cope, Channing. “Kudzu” Bulwark against Malnutrition.” Atlanta Constitution, (1948).
Dickey, James. “Kudzu.” The New Yorker (1963).
Finch, Bill. “he True Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Never Truly Ate the South.” Smithsonian Magazine, 2015.) https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/true-story-kudzu-vine-ate-south-180956325/.
Kinbacher, Kurt. “The Tangled History of Kudzu.” Vulcan Historical Review 4, no. 1, (2000): 45-69.
Loewenstein, Dave. “Defunct Monuments.” Daveloewenstein.com. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.daveloewenstein.com/new-page-3.
Loewenstein, Dave, Nancy J. Stephen F. Enloe, John W. Everest, James H. Miller, Donald M. Ball, and Michael G. Patterson. “History and Use of Kudzu in the Southeastern United States.” Forestry & Wildlife, (2022). https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/forestry-wildlife/the-history-and-use-of-kudzu-in-the-southeastern-united-states/.
Murai, Tatsuhiko and Ryoko Murai. “Changing of Kudzu Textiles in the Japanese Culture.” Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings, (2014): 1-9, http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/901.
Okura Nagatsune. Seikatsu roku. Bunshodo Fujii Uhei, 1828.
Smith, Margo interview by Arlene Goldbard. “The Kudzu Project: Cultural Organizing Spreads!” US Department of Arts and Culture. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://usdac.us/news/2017/12/19/the-kudzu-project-cultural-organizing-spreads.
Wong, Ka H., George Q Li, Kong M Li, Valentina Razmovski-Naumovski, and Kelvin Chan. “Kudzu Root: Traditional Uses and Potential Medicinal Benefits in Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases.” Journal of Ethnopharmacology 134, no. 3 (2011): 584-607. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.02.001.