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Craft Futures

From Craftivism
to Craftwashing

Anthea Black and Nicole Burisch

The authors examine craft within the conditions of extreme material and economic disparity; a renewed focus on labour and materiality in contemporary art and museums; the political dimensions of craftivism, neoliberalism, and state power; efforts toward urban renewal and sustainability; the use of digital technologies; and craft’s connections to race, cultural identity and sovereignty in texts that criss-cross five continents. They claim contemporary craft as a dynamic critical position for understanding the most immediate political and aesthetic issues of our time.

Anthea Black

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Artist, writer, and art publisher. Their studio work takes the form of prints, limited edition publications, artist-books, drawing, textiles, video and performance to address feminist, queer and trans archives and embodiment.

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https://portal.cca.edu/people/ablack/

Nicole Burisch

 

Curator, critic, and cultural worker. Her projects focus on discourses of craft, feminism, performance, publishing, labour, and materiality within contemporary art. 

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https://nicoleburisch.com/about/

"We take the position that craft is not a progressive political movement; like other forms of cultural production, it is embedded within broader histories and systems."

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Sabrina Gschwandtner - Wartime Knitting Circle (2007)

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Revolutionary Knitting Circle Knit-Out in the Park. Peace Knits banner on display. Part of the Revolutionary Knitting Tour. August 21, 2004.

Pink M.24 Chaffee Tank by Marianne Jørgensen

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You said you set up Craftivist Collective because you felt you didn’t fit in with other activist groups. What kinds of people are Craftivists?

A mixed bunch. Many are really shy crafty people who care about issues like global poverty but may be scared to go on a march. This is where we focus our energy – we don’t try to preach to the converted. Others are burnt out activists who want to chill out and get their message across in a different way. And some Craftivists are people who just want to meet new people.

(Sarah Corbett, founder of Craftivist Collective)

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Craftin’ Outlaws Holiday 2015 craft fair.

Craftivism
+
Individualism

Craft as an ideology,

a signifier of our political

and personal values.

Fashion Industry
Craftwashing

Levi’s® Made & Crafted®

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H&M’s wildflower collection

Free People

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Anthropologie Store Display Designs

Toms Shoes Photo Marketing

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Modern Craft

‘more personal, spiritual form…directed towards the improvement of the self,’

‘countercultural craft,
explicitly antagonistic to the mainstream.'

Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting

Gestures of Resistance