Quotations from: Burisch, Nicole. “Craftivism: Reevaluating the Links Between Craft and Social Activism” In Contemporary Ceramics Practice, edited by Ruth Chambers, Amy Gogarty & Mireille Perron, 155-172. Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 2008.

Recent writing about craft theory and history includes references to historical connections between craft and social justice issues, suggesting ways in which contemporary craft practices can continued to be considered this way. (156)

The growing number of people using the term “craftivism” also suggests that it is time to consider what this new movement might mean for contemporary craft practices as well as its effectiveness as an activist strategy. (156)

[…] craftivism has encouraged something of a democratization of craft, creating a situation in which anyone can participate and in which distinctions between “high” and “low” craft are purposely subverted or ignored. (157)

I have chosen to take the most inclusive view possible of what constitutes activism. Calgary activist Grand Neufeld suggests that activism can take place in many different forms and can also involve many small actions. […]: “someone who encourages their neighbor not to put pesticides on their lawn is an activist, someone who calls up their city councilor and says they would rather see more money go to bicycle paths than to roads, their an activist. People doing what they’re able to do … buying local, fair-traded objects, voting with your dollars, slowing down” (Neufeld Interview). (158)

William Morris wrote extensively about the conditions of workers and the rights of all people to have “work to do which shall be worth doing, and be of itself pleasant to do; and which should be done under such conditions as would make it neither over-wearisome nor over-anxious” (Morris “Art and Socialism). (159)

By practicing craft, people could work outside the dehumanizing effects of factory labour […]. Hand-crafted objects and those who make them could thus be seen as opposing machine-made goods and the factories that produced them. In this model, fine craft objects and an important symbolic role: they represent the possibility of work that is not “over-wearisome,” that is creative and fulfilling and nothing like the drudgery of working in factories. (159)

This symbolic view of craft, though significant, has little to offer in the way of actual tools or strategies for how to use craft practices to remedy problems of the factory system. (159)

Notes the example of Gandhi “using spinning as a way to protest British control over the Indian textiles economy at the turn of the twentieth century.” (160)

[…] craft’s suitability as a tool for opposing and critiquing the dominant capitalist/consumerist model. (161)

[…] it is perhaps more useful to think of the voting-with-your dollars strategy as one possible component of an activist approach, and to acknowledge the enormous significance of proactive hands-on involvement with other political or humanitarian actions. (163)

Alternatively, reducing overall consumption and waste by investing in high-quality reusable goods — using a ceramic mug instead of Styrofoam, for example — is both cost-effective and sustainable. (163)

The idea of voting-though-spending places the power — and the responsibility — with the consumer. Although it involves the participation of the crafts producers, it does so indirectly, and it still does not answer the question of how craft producers themselves can respond to issues of responsible/conspicuous consuming. (163)

Lisa Barry: “Random Acts of Pottery” (163-64)

While Barry sees these muggings as an excellent opportunity to introduce people to the aesthetic merits of handmade objects, they also represent a way of subverting the values of the current consumption model […]. (164)

The face-to-face interactions created through these muggings provide a space for dialogue and education. Barry has found a powerful tool with these muggings, a form of ceramics-activism that positions her mugs to address issues ranging from over-consumption to ecologically sustainable products to ways we value objects. (164)

One important question that remains about viewing ceramics through the lens of activism is the ecological impact of making things in this way. Granted, reusing a ceramic mug is a far better choice than using Styrofoam, but what are the ecological costs associated with mining clay and glaze ingredients, using gas to fire kilns and using water as it is often used? (165)

Regardless of whether ceramics is to be included as an activist activity, ceramics — and all craft producers — must consider how their materials are obtained and processed and the cumulative impact of their studio practices. (165)

Although I do not have the space to address the issue fully here, there is undoubtedly a need for further investigation of the ecological impacts and concerns of working with clay.

Mary Ann!

Robert Lyon — “mixes dextrine, a starch derivative adhesive, into his clay so that he does not have to fire his pieces (Joiner 31). His work addresses issues of recycling and natural processes, and he aims through his work “to foster an awareness” of ecological concerns (Joiner 32). (165)

About an ethical consideration of “fine craft”: “There is a great discrepancy between the economic and cultural value of a basket made by a craftsperson in the West functioning within an arts marketplace and a basket from an anonymous maker in the developing world (equally labour intensive) purchased for a few dollars at a dollar store or local market” (40). *Ingrid Bachmann — “New Craft Paradigms.” (166)

Although Matt Nolen uses traditional ceramic forms, the surfaces of these forms are covered with images addressing various political and social issues from credit card debt to depletion of the ozone layer. (167)

[…] Canadian First Nations artist Judy Chartrand, whose ceramic lard pails and spray cans reference stereotypes in advertising and labelling in order to critique the portrayal and treatment of Native Americans. (167)

[…] Adelaide Paul‘s mixed-media ceramic works subtly question how we treat and view animals […] (167)

I would suggest that the use of ceramics as a vehicle for analyzing, discussing, critiquing and subverting particular social issues by certain artists qualifies them as activists in the broad sense of the word. The emphasis in their work in terms of activism, however, is less on the materials of their craft and more on the messages they communicate. (168)

While some fine crafters engage in craftivism through the content of their work, many activist crafters focus instead on how their work is deployed. (168)

These creative approaches can bring an element of fun and theatre into what often ends up being “quasi-militaristic marches culminating in placard waving outside locked government buildings” (Klein Fences, 125) (168) *Klein, Naomi. Fences and Windows: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Globalization Debate. New York: Picador, 2002.

Grant Neufeld points out that when he is knitting, and people approach him to ask him what he is doing, he is able to initiate dialogue about activist issues outside of a protest context. (168)

Parallel’s Eve S. Mosher’s statement about Highwaterline.

Many of these textile-based craftivists rely on the suitability of their particular material or process to help promote their cause. Textile work seems to be one of the most easily transportable, affordable, teachable and accessible forms of craft to use for public protests, teach-ins and discussion groups. I have yet to encounter any examples of ceramics being used in a similar way, although I would not dismiss the possibility. (169)

Clay has been used to subversive ends in Lost in the Supermarket project. […] to recreate in clay various standard supermarket items like bottles of dish soap and cans of dog food. The asymmetrical and distorted recreations were snuck back onto the shelves of the store. (169) […] Possibly, they prompt a moment of shock or surprise or an increased awareness of the packaging, marketing and production of these commodities. (170)