How much do I love this craftivism video regarding saving a bus route!
Also of interest lately:
*Dinovember
*Listening to Moondog
* Handmade Christmas Inspiration Guide
*The Daring Interview Series: Meet Kal Barteski (Thanks, Katherine!)
*Prisoners In Solitary Confinement Requested Photos Of The Outside World — And Here They Are
Happy to report that Craftivism: The Art of Craft and Activism is almost at the printer! Hooray! You can find out more about it over at Arsenal Pulp and pre-order it over on Amazon.
This month has been a busy one with a trip to Joshua Tree, California for Camp CARPA with the Craft Research Agency, where I met loads of other amazing artists and generally enjoyed hanging out in the desert for a week. Incredible conversations were had, crafty drone replicas were made, and a lot of stitching was done.
Next up:
I have two pieces up at the Spoken Threads craftivism show at ArtRage Gallery in Syracuse, so if you’re in the area, go have a look!
A talk at the V&A in London next month at the The Subversive Stitch Revisited: The Politics of Cloth conference with some fine folks on the roster with me as you can see below. I’ll be talking about craftivism in the non-English speaking world. Have an example you’d like for me to talk about? Let me know in the comments or through
email.
I’ll also begin working my PTSD quilt/embroidery project, too! As an extension of the post I wrote here on PTSD and relationships, it’s been retooled and rewritten for Elephant Journal, and you can go read it here.
I’ll be talking more about that particular project later, but it includes collecting statements (the exact format of which I’m still working on) from people with diagnosed PTSD and stitching them together in a quilt. The point of the project is to take statements from people who have a disorder that often leaves them alienated and feeling unworthy and put them together, showing them that they are not, in fact, alone.
The other week I mentioned writing about the 3 –tions* of 1 –ism, the donation, beautification and notification. I’ve been thinking about donation a lot lately, as I’ve been a baby-hat-making-factory-of-one lately, as you can see in the photo below.
Therefore, I’m going to tackle the first -tion, donation. Initially, this was what craftivism was to me. Making and giving to others in need. Over time, what craftivism is has expanded, becoming more of an umbrella term. But, at the beginning, there was donation.
This is the quietest, most anonymous form of craftivism, as it’s something that you can do by making something at home and then dropping off what you made at a local hospital or charity or popping in the mail to one. Unlike the others actions, this one is quiet on purpose. There is no need to attach your name to it or your style even, it is a powerful act nonetheless, making for others.
One of the most important aspects of this action is not in the making itself, but in the planning to make. It’s to be mindful that you’re donating 1) where there is a need and 2) you’re donating what they’re asking for or at least something suitable for that need. I.e., what good is knitting something for the homeless if the item is made of yarn in a color that shows dirt easily or a design that’s likely to catch on things and stretch out? Or crocheting regular-sized infant hats for a charity that works with preemies? Or sewing mats for dogs out of a fabric that is handwash only?
Sometimes when charities request donations they will give guidelines on 1) exactly what they need, 2) how they need it to be labeled, and 3) what they need it to be made of. Sometimes they don’t, which may mean that before you donate, you call the organization and ask 1) if they’re taking donations and 2) what exactly form they need to be delivered in/mailed.
Crafters are a helpful lot and the minute any disaster happens, an inevitable effort starts up to help them. Most of the time, these efforts are done well and mindful of what the community needs and it goes off without a hitch. However, sometimes people are so interested in helping others that they start initiatives for causes that already have too many quilts, blankets, hats, etc. This can be quickly amended by asking first.
The efforts out there that people are making to fill gaps where needed is amazing! Chances are great that there is a charity somewhere that can benefit from what you like to make. It just may take a web search on where this charity is and how it can be reached and even a little retooling of what you make (adjustments to size, materials, etc.)
Ever make something that looks funny when you put it on? And you don’t have the heart to throw it out? This is not an excuse to give it to charity. With the exception of perhaps mats for dogs, the items that you donated may very well be cherished by their owners and something of value and pride. Therein, make sure that the work you put into the item is the same amount of work that you would put into making a garment for a loved one.
1. Donate what’s need to where it’s needed.
2. If your charity of choice doesn’t take what you’ve made/want to make, get to Googling, there’s always someone in need of your talents!
3. Donation does not equal cast offs. Just because you’re donating to a cause where your donation may be anonymous does not mean that quality should suffer.
*ETA: Spring 2015: I’ve switched from “-tions” to “tenets!”
It’s officially spring, but I’m watching the snow fall outside, the biggest snowfall we’ve had all year at three inches and counting! Even though it’s just gone 8am, I can hear the voices of neighborhood children yelling outside as they play in the last visit of winter this year.
I snapped the photo above in my bedroom the other weekend. I found it particularly amusing as sometimes I find that my cat teaches me as many lessons as the Buddha as I go along this thing called life. She teaches me to take a minute and just sit there for the pleasure of just being able to sit there for pleasure. She reminds me that it’s perfectly okay to take naps. She confirms that snuggling is really the best thing ever when I’m feeling a bit lonely. In short, she reminds me what it is to just be in the moment.
I started craftivism.com because, at the time (2003!), I was passionate about both crafts and activism. And I still am. People have asked me why I did it and where was I going. And I guess I was inspired by the “just be” attitude about craftivism, i.e., the notion that if you wanted to make crafts that were political and not crafts that were utilitarian, just do it. So I did it.
I was also inspired by passion, what drives someone to do something most of the time. If you and I aren’t passionate about the same thing, fine. I just want everyone to be passionate about something. And for them to hopefully take that passion and see how they can use it in the service of others and to change things for the better. Because that’s what our crafts can do and our hands can make, they can help others while also changing things!
On my most dorky introspective days, I really want people to understand their place in the world and realize how even the simplest changes and choices can do so much! When you start to become aware that your choices equal power and can constitute, foment and effect change there is not only growth within you, but also in your community. Because whether you do something craftivism related for a charity across the world or just make something for someone you know and pass it on, you are changing things.
Therefore, for my next 3 posts, I’m going to talk about the 3 “-tions”** of craftivism, as mentioned in a tweet I made recently.
In short, why these three? Because:
*DONATION: giving to anyone but yourself (using your crafts to help others)
*BEAUTIFICATION: making your public surroundings less banal (reminding others that your city is your own)
*NOTIFICATION: teaching others about the causes you believe in (making pieces that speak out against injustice in its myriad forms)
These three “-tions” as it were as the three spokes that craftivism was built upon in 2003 and continue to be today. Maybe you agree? Maybe you don’t.
But, either way, just remember that your actions can bring change, even if they seem tiny like a cat and a buddha in a bedroom. They have lessons to teach, and those lessons, depending on how you want them to sound, can be big or small, anonymous or public, or loud or quiet. You just need to remember to look and listen to what your hands want to make and to what your passion is saying to you.
**ETA: Spring 2015, I’m changing the “three -tions” to the “three tenets,” because “-tions” just sounds weird.
Guess what?! ArtRage Gallery is having a craftivism exhibition! Interested in taking part?! Read on below the photo!
ArtRage Gallery in Syracuse, NY, a non-profit activist art organization, is currently seeking art for an exhibition on craftivism set for November/December 2013.
If you would like your work to be considered for this group exhibition please contact kimberley@artragegallery.org.
We are looking for fiber work of all shapes and sizes and on a wide range of social/environmental issues.
In your email include either a website link where we can view your work or attach up to five images. Deadline: January 13, 2013
Thanks and feel free to share this email with your craftivist community!
About ArtRage: www.artragegallery.org.
The ArtRage mission is to exhibit progressive art that inspires resistance and promotes social awareness; supports social justice, challenges preconceptions and encourages cultural change. Our goal is to provide ArtRage visitors with an experience that encourages the breakdown of boundaries so that people can see themselves in the work and then in one another. And that, we believe, is the seed of a movement for cultural and social change.