Craftivism - Getting it out there
Evaluation of the OTN national gathering day in craft left at Downing Place United Reformed Church, Cambridge. A fabric square with a rainbow house below the words ‘Safe Space’, and above the words 'inclusion... wellbeing'. A handwritten message has been attached to the house with a needle and thread: 'Thank you to all who were involved in making yesterday's Open Table meeting a lovely (productive) day with friends :-)’
HAVE YOU EVER been utterly annoyed or dismayed over a particular issue and had no way that felt helpful or adequate to express that?
It hurts. It causes harm. Sometimes it perpetuates harm for a very long time. Keeping it all inside furthers the sense of injustice, and it can feel like you are the only person who cares about this particular nuance of right and wrong.
Craftivism is about getting those feelings out in a way that has potential impact - externalising and change-making. There are three stages:
1. Imagination
“a way of looking at life where voicing opinions through creativity makes your voice stronger, your compassion deeper and your quest for justice more infinite.”
We talk about the topics that matter to us, the things that are making us angry and the change we want to see. We apply our imagination to these topics, working out what form of craftivism might have the most impact and what message we would like to get out there, in both words and images.
Alex hosting the craftivism workshop at the Open Table national gathering, with the Cambridge Solidarity Hub quilt on the display board.
2. Creation
We then create art. This can include banners, embroidered quotes, letters, postcards, stickers, leaflets, posters, knitting, street art, badges, planting and so much more.
3. Activation
The message needs to get out there. It is not craftivism if it sits at home (unless, of course, our message is for ourselves). Instead, we plan and put into action a way for our activist craft to get to the people who need to see it, working for change by doing so. For example, banners can be displayed outside premises or at festivals and fairs, fabric quotes can be tied to pretty much any inanimate objects, stickers can be stuck on anything we own, badges can be worn or distributed, posters can be put up and so on…
In LGBTQIA+ craftivism, we take our experiences of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, as well as our experiences of being LGBTQIA+, and get them out there. At More Than Equal, the Open Table Network national gathering on 10th June in Cambridge, we worked on panels for the LGBTQ+ Solidarity Quilt and on progress flag postcards whilst chatting about our experiences and about craftivism. Our postcards have been sent to politicians to protest the regressive silencing guidance and rules coming into education, that feel like a move back towards Section 28, which prevented local authorities from ‘promoting homosexuality’.
The LGBTQ+ Solidarity Quilt will be displayed during LGBT+ History Month, February 2023, in venues throughout Cambridge and beyond, so that our stories are shared more widely, and we can create safer spaces across the city. So far, several shops, banks and libraries are signed up.
Alex (they/them/Alex) is Co-Chair of the Open Table Network, and is the founder of Cambridge Solidarity Hub, a group working for social change by living in solidarity. They are a speaker, musician, writer, facilitator, story-teller and activist, all of which forms part of their ministry in and beyond the United Reformed Church.
