Nottingham Contemporary

On the 19^th of Aug, we kicked off our youth programme for this season with a Slow Craft Social lead by Textile Artist and Visitor Services Supervisor, Emma Graves.

This session drew from ideas of Craftivism and Mindfulness, to we explore relaxing crafting techniques such as embroidery, collage, and printing in the session. Craftivism is a portmanteau of craft and activism, which uses craft as a form of gentle protest. Betsy Greer is known for coining the term ‘Craftivism’ and defines it as: “A way at looking at life where voicing opinions through creativity makes your voice stronger, your compassion deeper and your quest for justice more infinite.”

Craftivism can inspire change in both the outcome and the process. When taking the time to hand make crafts, it requires more time spent thinking about the craft subject matter. The involvement in creating, can attach us closer to the issues craftivism aims to tackle. People also tend to take a greater interest in something that has taken time to make by hand, with the aim of craftivism inviting people to stop, think, look and learn.

Our drop-in session combined Craftivism with Mindfulness to take time to approach making in a contemplative space as a way to resist the pressures productivity. We encouraged participants to enjoy the process of making as opposed to producing a finished piece.