counteR

CRAFT

FREE

ISSUE #1 December 2011

counteR

CRAFT
counter craft - issue 1 crafting the occupation www.counter-craft.org counter craft is an ongoing research project that critically explores how art, craft, history and activism intertwine. As a website & zine, counter craft will serve to collect and comment on the various aspects of modern craft, specifically craftivism. Although its roots can be traced further back in history, craftivism is a term coined in 2003 by Betsy Greer which she defines as the practice of engaged creativity, especially regarding political or social causes. Throughout history artists have subverted materials, tools and technologies to express their ideas. counter craft will examine the ways that makers, such as artists and craftivists, use traditional craft materials as well as mass-produced products in ways not intended by the original designers. I believe that by subverting and repurposing materials through the use of craft we can open public discourse, create change and gain a foothold in breaking away from the corporate design we inhabit. Through this project I hope to explore the tension between mass-production, our needs as makers and how craftivism can be a force to address discontent with a postindustrial world. December 2011 made with in new haven, ct, usa

TABLE OF CONTENTS
crafting 3. 5. 11. the occupation zuccotti park new zealand berkeley

13. stitchAMERICAtogether

19. on crafting publics

23. craft for the 99%

25. buy nothing christmas

It was an exceptionally warm early October evening when I first met Marsha Spencer. My fianc and I were occupying at Zuccotti Park (known as Liberty Square by us occupiers,) holding signs quoting the late, great Ambrose Bierce. My sign read Debt; n. An ingenious substitute for the chain and whip of the slave driver, and his read Corporation: An ingenious device for obtaining profit without individual responsibility. I had seen Marsha there before, knitting diligently since day one, but had never had the pleasure of meeting her until this particular evening. Marsha was on her way out of the park, pushing her cart of knitting supplies along her way and heading home for the night when we met her. It was our signs that drew her to us. Wow, how true! she stated in response to the quotations, the best part about them, I replied, is that they were written over 100 years ago! Little did I know that this was the beginning of what would turn out to be an hour long, enlightening conversation covering everything from bank bailouts to the importance of mittens, scarves and hats in the winter season. We learned that Marsha is a grandmother of five, who feels it is important to participate in the movement to ensure a happy future for her grandchildren. She stated that her own children cant seem to understand why shes down at the park every day. They question her motives and worry that something bad could happen to her; they are also bewildered by the amount of time she devotes to the cause, and confused as to what exactly she is contributing by knitting.

Marsha has been knitting for OWS since September, 17th in preparation for the impending cold of the winter months; it was obvious to her that the movement would not be stopping anytime soon, and that the occupiers would need some way to stay warm as it grew colder and colder. As of mid October, she had knitted over 30 individual pieces, which may not seem like much, but for one woman knitting alone, its quite a feat. She travels daily by subway, with all of her supplies, from midtown to downtown; usually arriving at the park around 9 or 10AM and staying until at least 9PM. She believes that the bank bailouts should have never occurred; that instead, the people should have been bailed out. She states that if all the money used to bail out banks had been given directly to the people to assist in mortgage payments, no one would have to lose their homes and the banks would still be receiving their share, hence the banks never needing bailouts to begin with. People helping people, is what Marsha would like to see, rather than institutions helping corporations. Marsha, with her stoic and stationary ways, has become somewhat of a grandmother figure for the movement. People look up to her, and seek her out for conversation and wisdom. She has attracted such attention that she can be found all over YouTube and the internet in general - she has even been interviewed for on The Daily Show with John Stewart. She never provokes, and usually doesnt speak unless spoken to, but she also never shies away from discussion and is always ready to explain her point of view with complete honesty. Ill never forget that warm October evening, nor will I forget the warmth and caring that simply radiated from this selfless stranger turned comrade. In this time of turmoil and change, this world could surely use more Marsha Spencers. - Melissa Orozco

woman, Ive become more aware of prejudice not only against queer and transgender people, but also racism, sexism and people with disabilities. I feel that travelling the world has also opened my eyes to see the world in a different way - inequality and environmental issues became more apparent to me. I feel that now they have been exposed to me, I can longer ignore them. I became aware of a few people and groups using craft as a means to convey these political messages and I thought it was such an awesome way to affect political and social change.
Tell me a bit about yourself. What is your take on craftivism?

Im originally from England but have lived in Australia (7 years) and New Zealand (1 year). I live with my partner Lauren (our logo designer and personal photographer) and our dog Jasper. For my day job I am a manager of costume hire and before that I worked for an Eco Clothing label. My interests other than craftivism include gardening on my veggie patch, travelling and road trips, sustainability, baking and nature.
I love the Buy Nothing cross stitch thats featured as a page in your zine - where is it from?

The Buy Nothing cross stitch is my stitching work. It was inspired by an ad busters poster, but I changed the words to be things that I like doing more. I sometimes take it to events to display if I feel that the message fits. At the time I was working on it I didnt have a car and had to take 2 buses to work, I was determined to stitch a lot of it on the bus (bumpy ride) as I felt that by stitching it in a public space for people to see it would spread the message. People always did seems quite interested to have a peek at what I was doing!
How did you become involved in craftivism?

I feel that by marrying craft and activism it is the perfect vehicle in which to effect change. The thing that I love the most about the idea of conveying strong political messages via the means of craft that it is so noninvasive and unthreatening. I also feel that people take that extra time to look at what you have created not only because it is a thing of beauty, but because of the time and energy invested into it. I consider myself to be a third wave feminist, so therefore craft for me is about being able to reclaim traditional womens activities, free from the constraints of pre-prescribed binary gender roles. Giving the craft a political or ethical message, for me gives my craft meaning, I feel like I am doing something to start changing the way people think.
How & when did theThe Wellington Craftivism Collective start? Tell me a bit about your members.

Im not sure really! I think it chose me. I have always made things since I can remember. At primary school I ran a club making pom poms and I was playing with my mums sewing machine as soon as I was old enough. Soon after leaving uni I opened my own shop called Peep Show to promote emerging local designers, as well as my own. Ive always like handmade pretty things. I have also always had very strong moral and political views. I chose to be a vegetarian due to animal rights reasons at the age of 10, a decision I still stand by today. By identifying as a gay

When I moved to Wellington New Zealand I felt inspired by the really great underground movement here. Its very similar to Melbourne, as the capital of the country there is a certain political buzz. After looking around for a radical craft group and not finding anything here, I met Emily Strange who shared similar ideas. We decided to set up a new group and the Wellington Craftivism Collective was born. That was about 5 months ago and since then it has rapidly gathered steam! We have 142 members now on the Facebook group from all over the world. We have quite a number of members here in Wellington who have been involved in various projects. The main members (founders I suppose) are me and Emily Strange who have attended and arranged all of the events. We are now starting to have a handful of loyal and regular members which is amazing! Different people have brought different issues that they

feel strongly about to the groups adding to the diversity. I know that some members are very concerned about Maori rights within New Zealand and some other members are particularly concerned with environmental issues and queer issues. It is fantastic to have a group where we can all work together towards a shared goal of a better world.
How didThe Wellington Craftivism Collective become involved with the Occupy movement? What projects have you done with Occupy in mind?

I had been a follower of the Occupy movement from the beginning as I feel very strongly about injustice through corporate crime and capitalism. Emily had had an idea at one of our meetings that we should give away free cupcakes to people. When Occupy Wellington came into existence, we decided to take the free cupcake stall idea there. You would be amazed at the response you get from people when you give them free things, its amazing. We had such an amazingly positive response and the ideas for other projects as well as an enthusiastic membership have snowballed from there. We felt that in the same way as craftivism, that free cupcakes were a completely unthreatening form of protest and an excellent way in which to get people to engage. The first cupcake stall became such a success that we ended up going back nearly every weekend for over 2 months holding more. In addition to the cupcake stalls, we have also launched our giant Occupy blanket project. We have held patchmaking workshops for this project, one of which was at the Occupy Wellington site. We are inviting world wide participation for the project - by doing this and having the blanket travelling and exhibited we hope to spread the messages the blanket conveys to a much wider community.
How did the idea for the Occupy blanket come about? How is that project going?

from the other side of the world without something tactile and tangible for them to feel and see. I think that when the blanket travels, people will get excited to be involved. It was amazing today to see peoples response from us laying down the patches, to show the beginnings of the blanket and what it will look like. People thought it was really cool and then wanted to contribute as they could see for themselves what it was about. I think that now the momentum is going it will start to carry itself. The plan for where and how the blanket will travel is now unfolding. We will be announcing the locations it will visit very soon. We are really really excited that one of the locations will be Wall St too!

Can you tell me about your patch making workshops?

The original idea for the blanket was Emilys. I was always keen to do a large scale group piece and this fit the bill perfectly. Emily has always been inspired by womens insitutions and such that make as a group patch work blankets that are then distributed to homeless people. The idea for the blanket to travel emerged from a brainstorming session. The project is going really well, the overseas patches are taking longer to come than we initially thought but we do know that some are on there way. Its hard getting people to be inspired and motivated

We have had 2 patch making workshops now. One was held at 128 Radical Social Centre where we were able to use their screen printing facilities. We had people on hand with different skills such as operating the screen printing equipment, cross stitching and knitting which enabled us to skill share. The second workshop was Saturday, December 10th at Occupy Wellington. We have received a lot of fabric donations for the project which means we are able to move towards our goal of being able to operate sustainably.

At the workshops, we have had many people come by who wanted to take part and were keen to learn new skills that they have never done before. I feel like we have had a really positive response and been able to offer a friendly, social and supportive space for people to create and discuss ideas. It has been very important to me that not only is the Occupy blanket a collaborative piece, but that the project evolves from all of our ideas. Talking with people about how we can reach a wider audience in a creative way has been just as important as creating the blanket itself. People really like the social aspect of crafting together in a group, everyone bounces ideas off each other and its quite inspiring. What was behind the process for the zine? Was it a collaborative effort? We decided to put a zine together for the Wellington Zine fest only 2 weeks before it happened! It was a joint effort and think that there are about 9 different contributors to form the zine. We are really pleased with the outcome and the response we have received from it has been great. We sold quite a few copies (just to cover printing costs) and the remainder are being sold at our stalls and available to buy at Freedom Shop. We know that some of them have been bought by people who are bringing them or sending them overseas as well. What are your future plans for the collective? Oh we have so many ideas!! Well we will be tracking the blanket online and getting people to upload photos of themselves with it on our blog. We plan to have an exhibiton with the blanket once it returns back to Wellington. We have talked about possibly displaying it in a public window space to give it a wider audience than a gallery. We hope to have another zine at some stage, we would like to talk about the people participating in the blanket project and the journeys behind the blanket patches as some have very cool stories! We hope to hold a vegan pot luck dinner craft bombing workshop soon where we hope to go out after dark and yarnbomb the town, the inspiration for this is Buy Nothing Xmas. I am keen to do several other projects including a Kill Your TV project to highlight the misrepresentation of mainstream media. We also plan to start a regular monthly meetup in the new year. There will be lots more to come so stay tuned!

OccupyBlanket Project
Wellington Craftivism Collective is creating a giant patchwork blanket to show support and solidarity for the Occupy Movement. We invite people from all over the world to submit patches to us by mail, these patches will then be lovingly crafted together to form our united blanket. All patches need to be 20cm x 20cms (please leave a 1cm border blank around the edge to give us space to sew them together with out loosing any of your beautiful designs). The patch can be made in any fabric based medium: cross stitch, knitted, crocheted, embroidered, fabric paints, felt Get creative! This is your chance to make a statement, use your square to convey how you think the world could be a better place. Send completed patches to: 7/b Blucher Ave, Newtown, Wellington, New Zealand. Please invite your friends to take part! Love the Wellington Craftivism Collective Website: http://wellingtoncraftivism.blogspot.com

10

Max Ventura has been a part of Occupy Berkeley since its inception on October 8, 2011. She has been involved in activist activities for 30 years and believes that the work of thousands of activists over the past few decades has finally come to fruition in the form of the Occupy movement. Ventura has a tent set up at the camp and often brings her daughter and two sons whom she home schools to the protest, she says that their time there has become their civics class. Tired of the press focusing on the negative stories coming out of the Occupy movement, Ventura wanted to start a project that was both positive and productive. A long time knitter, she decided that knitting with its tradition of bringing people together and its ability to create objects which clothe and comfort, would be a great activity to bring to the Berkeley occupation. Knit-In at the Sit-in invites participants to knit and crochet hats, scarves and mittens to send to encampments in colder regions. Although Occupy Berkeley has faced pounding rains and gale force winds, Ventura was aware that their camp still has better weather conditions than a lot of other camps across the country. She says the knit-in project is a statement of solidarity a way to recognize that we are part of one big web and a way to share time and love with others. Participants are encouraged to add a note to the recipient of the objects they knit to make it more personal and take the message of solidarity one step further.

The first knit-in was held on November 26 and there have been three more held since. The knit-ins have been successful at attracting more people to the protest. At one knit-in a woman named Jennifer told Ventura that she had been angry for so long about so many things that have been happening, but she didnt know what to do about it until she saw the Knit-In at the Sit-In flier. According to Ventura, Jennifer said that the knit-ins have given her a way to participate. She has attended several of the knit-ins and has been helpful in teaching others to knit and crochet. A few participants who could not attend the knit-ins have sent packages with clothing theyve knitted. One woman knitted a bag full of hats, 10 or 12 things, each with a note attached, Ventura said with excitement. She has been overwhelmed with peoples involvement in the knit-ins and the way that its brought people together. Although knitting has an antiquated association as womans work, Ventura has been happy to find that men have been just as involved as women. Not only does Venturas two sons come to knit, we had all these guys show up, five guys knitted the first week, its been so great. She plans to send the knitted items theyve collected so far to the Occupy movement in New York City and to Occupy Manitoba. Globally, Ventura plans to send items to Cairo and to Fukashima, Japan. [At Occupy Berkeley] we can go to the 99 cent store if we need a hat you can knit for yourself if you want to, but its really about reaching out, knitting a web around the world. Ventura hopes that the packages will lift up the spirits of the recipients and sees the knit-in project as a little gesture that will create ripples.

12

An interview with Jessica Clark Stitch America Together is an embroidery and quilting community art project about how daily choices and actions can make a difference in our country. Website: http://stitchamericatogether.blogspot.com
First off, you recently attended a Craft-In at Parsons. What was it like?

The Craft-in at Parsons was in the lobby. Students and faculty had donated warm clothes for the occupiers. There were about ten people sewing when I got there. I was told by the organizer to mend or add some love to the clothes. People were reinforcing elbows, or adding a hand warmer to the belly of a sweater. I chose to add decorative patches and embroidery to a sweater. The girl who sat across from me created a long, wizard-like sweater coat with generous sleeves. It said Occupy Your Heart on the back. She and I talked about OWS and shared what inspired us about the movement. Overall, it was a relaxing, welcoming atmosphere, and nice to be make something in the presence of people in support of the same cause. I found that the activity prompted conversation-from the participants and observers. I felt that was key to my project as well.
What was your inspiration for the project? On your site you mention the 2008 election and the presence of community and conversation in traditional quilting bees - could you tell me more?

teaching a high school graphic design class, and the students were designing campaign materials. The students were so excited about Obama, none of them chose McCain. I think their interest inspired me as much, or more than the actual campaign. When I was younger, I felt like politics and our countrys issues were too big and bad for me to care to understand, talk about or even form opinions about. Its overwhelming and frustrating to think that there is nothing that can be done to affect the big picture. Its hard to know who to believe or who is really controlling this world. I still partially feel that way, but the events in 2008 inspired me to want to talk and learn more about what I could do to contribute to my community and country. I saw a documentary about the quilts of Mississippi Cultural Crossroads, a community arts center where quilters create and sell their quilts. The group is made up of women of different cultures in Mississippi, where racial and cultural tension runs high. Quilting is a way for them to unite in spite of, or because of differences. They get together to chat and sew, while preserving the tradition of quilting in the process.

I suppose the whole Hope and Change campaign really worked for me. Or perhaps it was witnessing the reaction by our citizens to the Obama campaign. I was

14

What is it about quilting that made this the best outlet for the group discussions?

Quilts are a true metaphor for different parts working together to make a whole. My mom and I made two quilts together before I left for college. I cherish that time we spent together-sewing through the huge transition for both of us. And just this weekend without any planning, we began to mend one of the torn quilts over a conversation about what we can do to be better for each other. Quilting works for long, group discussions because its hard to stop working. Hours can fly by without notice. Quilting and embroidery are activities that are associated with flow, a soothing state of motivated focus. It makes sense that ideas and meaningful conversations naturally develop in this state.
If you havent been able to try this project yet - what are your expectations? What do you want to achieve through this project?

thats what so great about it. The people are making these decisions. If I am criticizing, then I should be asking myself how I can get more involved. I want this project to help people understand how their ideas can be turned into daily choices and actions that align with their vision for our country.
Do you think craft should play a greater role in Occupy? If so, how?

I was so impressed with a Facebook page for an OWS craft group shortly after the beginning of the occupation. And I had briefly spoken to a group of three knitters stationed at Zuccotti before the raid. I think it says a lot about how people can use their strengths and interests to contribute to the movement. I saw craft all over Zuccotti, actually. From handmade signs to a handmade Statue of Liberty. The ethics of craft hold many of the values I see in Occupy Wall Street - the use of ethically-produced and repurposed materials, the value placed on process and the connection with the community.

I want to promote the idea that each person can share a meaningful viewpoint about our country, and that it has a place in the bigger picture. We all matter and have something to say. I hope to bring people together who can help one another articulate grievances with, and hopes for our country. Lets make a quilt that represents many ideas that motivate positive actions and changes.
Although this project was conceived prior to Occupy - how do you think your project fits in with the movement? How would you like to incorporate your project with the movement?

The more I read and learn about the movement, the more I think that this project is a part of it. People are working together to make something larger out of seemingly disparate parts. Its about talking with people and figuring out how we, together, can control the bigger picture. Sometimes I read about whats going on with the movement and feel so proud, and other times I disagree. But,

16

STITCh AMErICA TOGEThEr PrOJECT

Gather 2-12 participants -a group of friends, family members, community members, a craft group, a classroom of children, a handful of coworkers, etc. With your group, begin to brainstorm and share ideas about how you would like to improve our country. What sorts of issues affect your life the most? What would you like to know more about? EXAMPLES: Health Care, Environment, Education, Poverty, Immigration, Economy, and Marriage Equality. Begin to think about how your daily personal choices affect one or more of the discussed issues. You will then illustrate your ideas, then transfer the illustration into an embroidery. Your embroidery will be used with your peers work to make the final quilt. The quilt will be a visual representation of your groups ideas, conversations, opinions, hopes and commitments concerning our country. QUILTING A block quilt is one way to stitch the embroideries together for this project. The Block is the basic unit of the pattern. Below are the basic steps to make an easy Block quilt. Cutting the fabric Place the fabrics in a pile, one over another on the place mat. Take the ruler and use the rotary cutter to cut the pieces that will outline the embroidered square.

Making a block Stitch them together to form a big square- the Block. Sew all the pieces to form the same sized blocks. Piecing Using the sewing machine, sew all of the blocks to each other to complete the front of the quilt. Batting Place the chosen batting material above the piecing. The top of the piecing should be facing the mat and the stitched side should go along the batting. Now place the lining fabric over it. Quilting Stitch all three layers to each other with the help of the sewing machine. Stitch around the basic blocks, all over the quilt. Binding Bind all of the sides with a piece of the fabric. MATERIALS Repurposing and collecting materials when possible is recommended. Embroidery hoops Embroidery floss Iron & ironing board Sewing needles (Universal size 12) Pins- beaded head Fabric Quilt batting Sketch paper and pencils Optional Materials: Standard sewing machine Rotary cutter Rotary ruler Cutting mat Pattern for block quilt

18

perhaps our only meaningful activity today is somehow related to consumption - if thats watching TV and therefore commercials or buying a ticket to the cinema, everything is somehow funneled through the narrow field of consumerism. I think craft tries to find other ways of discussing what is meaningful time. Occupy has received a lot of criticism from those who feel that the occupiers have had their chance to have their say - they can vote with their money or with their elective vote. To that, Otto responds, that is such a limited view of what democracy is because democracy is freedom of speech, freedom of assembly all these sort of things that creates the public discussion. I think that there is something really corrupt when we all start to think that it is only the act of voting that is the democracy. So an activist becomes one who has a social agenda that acts outside the narrowly legitimized scope of what democracy is. Otto then talked more in depth about the importance of crafting in a public space. Its powerful to see how your act actually connects to form publics. You know John Dewey and his discussion about publics - that there is this general public - but of course every issue creates a small public. Activism address THE public. How do we create small publics around every issue, around ourselves that then generates new influences? And thats where I really think craft is a connective tool. How does your craft connect to other people to form a little public? And how does that act initiate discourse and disseminate, cultivate skills among your immediate environment? I think these are all important questions that we need to explore for ourselves if we are interested in craftivism. I found this discussion to be quite inspiring and I hope you do too. To explore more of Ottos work visit: http://www.selfpassage.org

I recently spoke with Otto von Busch, Assistant Professor of Integrative Fashion at Parsons the New School for Design. Much of Ottos research explores how fashion can be used for empowerment, self-development and personal growth instead of being a phenomenon of top-down decrees and collective anxiety. His projects, which he groups with his research under the name >self_passage< try to bend the power of fashion to achieve a positive personal and social condition with which the Everyperson is free to grow to his/her full potential by means of engaged fashion practices. During our conversation, we explored how his research can apply specifically to the Occupy movement. What I find the most interesting about Ottos work, is that hes constantly trying to break down codes, the paths we inhabit and applying it directly to his practice in fashion and making. I think a lot about what resistance is today. If we are not going to the streets to demonstrate, convince other people or the media that our cause is right, how do we build other strategies, other points of departure for work? Occupy Wall Street tries to address banking, democracy - how can we as crafters address that? How can we as crafters make a discussion culture where we discuss as we work? Craft has a long history of resistance, the best example of this resistance came out of the Industrial Revolution with William Morris and the Arts & Crafts Movement. Industrialization and consumerism have had such a huge impact on our society and part of crafts role today has become a resistance to a culture that constantly sells itself to us. As Otto puts it,

20

occupy USE YOUR IMAGINATION!!

mittens

- Create a square for the Occupy blanket - Knit hats, scarves, gloves for the homeless or for other occupations - Repurpose used clothes: add patches, embroidery (make for you, friends, occupiers, or shop drop*!)

patches

jenpooo.blogspot.com/2011/10/ occupy-bmore-mitten-pattern.html

*shop drop: to covertly place objects on display in a store. A form of culture jamming aka: reverse shoplift, droplift.

thoughtful bunting

mini protest banners

craftivist-collective.com/ project-archive/
Cherry Holahans BUY NOTHING ----> cross stitch

22

doily sweater

Besides the the old standbys of knitting hats & scarves, making soap and baking cookies here are some ideas for crafted holiday presents. Go to the websites provided for the tutorials.

snow globes

abeautifulmess.typepad.com /my_weblog/2011/11/restylea-comfy-sweatshirt-.html

ornaments

artsyants.blogspot.com/2010/12/ diy-snow-domes-tutorial.html

crafty gift wrapping

greedyforcolour.blogspot.com

ravelry.com/patterns/library/holiday-lights-2

knockknockingblog.blogspot.com

silhouette mason jars t-shirt market bag

laurenelisecrafted.com/blog/2010/3/25/ crafted-diy-silhouette-mason-jars.html

woven chain bracelet

honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-market-bag

woven hair comb

honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-woven-chain-bracelet

lemonjitters.blogspot.com/2011/09/ diy-hair-comb.html
background: www.alexandrahadj.blogspot.com

26

counter-craft.org 2011

this is what democracy looks like