By Indiana Gallant, staff writer
Politics rarely make people think “warm and fuzzy,” but some artists are crafting a new definition for what it means to be an activist.
Craftivism, a word combining crafts and activism, was coined by sociologist, activist, and knitter Betsy Greer in 2002. Early on, she focused on the idea of knitting or creating usable goods for those in need. Since its origin, craftivism took shape, expanding into a variety of individuals helping others, expressing their opinions, and empowering others.
With increasing violence in Palestine, young fiber artists joined together and crafted a variety of Palestine-themed projects to show their support for those trapped in Gaza.
One crochet artist, known by the name Shama, wrote a blog post compiling different Palestine-inspired patterns for people to find and uses her artistic platform to call attention to what she refers to as genocide against Palestinians.
“As a crocheter, I find a lot of solace in crochet. It helps me find grounding. It is also how I express myself,” Shama wrote. “As the world ignores this genocide, it becomes increasingly important to visibly show your support and keep up the pressure – it’s the only way we can hope to see change.”
Searching on websites designed for crafters, patterns and ideas that center on politics may not be your first result. However, these activists have been present for a long time, even before the term craftivism was created.
In a research proposal in 2002, Greer wrote, “the creation of things by hand leads to a better understanding of democracy, because it reminds us that we have power.” Now, 22 years after its creation, craftivism is still active throughout the fiber arts community, being used to protest war, fight for women’s rights, and bring awareness to environmental crises.
Much of the craftivist movement emerged from the gender stereotypes surrounding certain crafts, especially fiber arts, such as knitting, crocheting, sewing, or embroidery. These skills were often seen as menial, but history expresses the opposite.
These “domestic labors” served as ways to survive cold winters, make money, and make a statement. In recent years, some scholars have taken the idea of craftivism and applied it to women’s history. Scholars are beginning to dissect what it means to hold power, and how women have used the constraints put against them to take control of their lives.
American history is steeped in sentiments that likely inspired later craftivism. For example, in the years leading up to the American Revolution, Colonial women gradually became accustomed to clothing their families with homespun and hand-knit textiles. This was specifically to defy British taxation on imported goods, including textiles. Since women were often the “buyers” of the family, they had a direct impact on what was and was not consumed.
The American flag’s design was contributed to Betsy Ross, a Philadelphian seamstress, who sewed the flag before the American Revolution.
Later on, abolitionists used sewing groups to express their beliefs and understandings as to why slavery must end. The Liberator, an abolitionist newspaper, wrote that during these sewing circles, “Some one of the members generally reads an anti-slavery book or paper to the others during the meeting, and thus some who don’t get a great deal of anti-slavery at home have an opportunity of hearing it at the circle.”
In more recent times, craftivism has been seen in projects such as the 2005 Wombs on Washington and Stitch for Senate projects. One of the most famous recent movements being the “Pussyhat” Project, associated with the women’s rights activists against Donald Trump before the 2016 election.
Regardless of political alignment, many have used creative arts to express their feelings about social, economic, and civil issues.
