Crafting for Change

A movement of self-proclaimed “craftivists” has emerged in recent times, devoted to the answering the question: “How can craft improve the world?”

Betsy Greer, who coined the term craftivism, defines it as “a way of looking at life where voicing opinions through creativity makes your voice stronger, your compassion deeper & your quest for justice more infinite.” Craftivists are knitting to protest sweatshop labor, cross-stitching anti-war messages and taking over public spaces with projects like Massive Knit NYC, in which knitters adorned trees, benches and other objects in Washington Square Park with yarn.

While most crafters, from the occasional scarf knitter to the hardcore DIY-er, probably do not think of themselves as craftivists, even the everyday crafter is making a statement simply by making something instead of buying it. Making your own subverts our consumerist culture where most things are bought and soon thrown away. Handmade items are an antidote to mass-produced, impersonal goods. By using re-purposed materials, crafting reduces waste. It fosters resourcefulness and reusing or mending things instead of throwing them away.

In this space, I’ll be exploring how people are using crafting for activist purposes (be it political, environmental, feminist, etc.), as well as how the craft and DIY movement generally empowers people to create rather than consume, and reduce their environmental footprint.

But craft can also simply be a force for empathy and connection – a small, good thing in a time of crisis. After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, one crafter decided to put her skills to use for the children of Newtown. Kim Piscatelli was inspired by the children’s book “The Kissing Hand,” about a raccoon going to school for the first time. He is anxious about leaving home, so his mother kisses his palm as a reminder of her love, telling him to hold it up to his cheek whenever he misses her. Piscatelli wanted to give the children of Newtown a similar reminder, so she organized her friends to make hand-knit mittens with a heart on the palm for each child at the school. The mittens are meant to remind the kids of how much they are loved by their families and friends.

Word got out about the project and soon crafters all over the U.S. and beyond were knitting, crocheting, and sewing mittens and sending them to Connecticut. Nearly 600 pairs have been collected so far. While it doesn’t take a political stance, this is a great example of crafters coming together to support a cause. Stay tuned for some more radical examples of craftivism!

[Photo via The Kissing Hand Mitten Project]