7 Arts and crafts
The beauty of creative arts and activities is the flexible and diverse way in which they can be engaged with. Arts and crafts are often something that children are introduced to at an early age – sticking, gluing and painting in early years settings, often progressing to making cards at school for key celebrations.
There can be a satisfaction in creating something anew, or upcycling and recycling items for a different purpose, and often arts and crafts activities can enable this creative process. Craft can be an activity that enables children to share ideas and have a voice, which in its own way can promote their own and others wellbeing. It can be used to vocalise collective ideas and views that demonstrate children and young people’s political activism and concerns about the world around them. The term craftism as explored in the following activity has been coined to represent this type of involvement in arts and crafts.
Activity 6 Craft as activism
This activity explores the idea of using a craft as activism in different ways. Use the text boxes and prompts to record what you learn from watching the two videos and/or reading the article.
Video 3 is a BBC Newsround clip showing students at a boarding school being introduced to the concept of craftivism. You are welcome to watch the whole video, but the key part this activity requires you to watch is from 09:05 minutes in, start at: ‘During this term, some of the girls have been quietly learning a new skill,’ and end at 11:12 minutes; ‘It’s just trying to provoke people to think and look more into the issue.’ Video 3 Craftivism: Our Boarding School: 19. Prom Planners [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
Alternatively, you can read about the project: Craftivist collective: Introducing our ‘Gentle Protest’ Craftivism on Children’s BBC.
Video 4 is a recording of a project in London with a powerful initiative to re-purpose knives to create community equipment to positively benefit young people.
Transcript: Video 4 Steel Warriors
1. What do the students highlight regarding what they have learned about craftivism?
Feedback
The students at the boarding school share their learning and how their preconceptions of the use of embroidery skills, such as cross-stitch, have been challenged by realising that craftivism can have a quiet but powerful impact. They particularly note that they have learned that activism does not need to be violent, but that important points can quietly be made with the use of crafts, for example, displaying a message or offering a handmade handkerchief with an inspirational quote. Sarah is able to adapt her art form to raise awareness of a variety of issues, for example, the low pay of overseas garment workers.
2. What message are Steel Warriors trying to convey through their actions?
Feedback
Steel Warriors have one clear message – to turn steel that might have been used to harm others, into a means of helping others with the provision of new equipment in local communities. While producing fantastic outdoor equipment, their story serves to raise awareness of the dangers of knife crime and publicise alternative opportunities to become strong in healthier, positive ways.
3. How do you feel having learned about two very different examples of craftivism?
Feedback
You may have had different reactions to the information shared and hopefully it demonstrates how arts and crafts can combine effectively to create opportunities for activism.