The Craftivist Collective is "an inclusive group of people committed to using thoughtful, beautiful crafted works to help themselves and encourage others be the positive change they wish to see in the world."[1] It was set up in 2009 by Sarah Corbett.[2] It is based in London.[3]
The Independent describes it as "a social enterprise that helps people to engage in activism, or craftivism, in a quiet, non-confrontational manner".[4]The Guardian has called it "new mindful activism" that is "is thought-out, strategic and engaging in approach".[5]
They were named by the Times as one of their five 'New Tribes' of 2012.[6]
There is a manifesto[16] and a checklist of goals for the work of the group which includes being welcoming,[17] encouraging and positive,[18] creative and non-threatening,[19] and to focus on global poverty and human rights injustices.[20]
The Craftivist Collective's efforts have been deemed 'guerrilla crafting',[20] as their projects often involve leaving crafted messages in public places. Their projects are often small-scale, intended to bring viewers closer to the work.[2] There are lists of projects to do and video tutorials online.[22] They run talks, workshops, stalls and exhibitions and sell Craftivist Collective kits and merchandise.[20]
The 'collective' is a loose term that encompasses anyone who gets involved.[15] The group particularly seeks to engage people who haven't previously had much involvement or interest in civic engagement. For many members the group is a stepping stone to more traditional activist methods.[23] Corbett calls it 'slow activism'[18] and 'introverted activism', saying "it's not about performance and vying for attention, it's about offering people the choice to engage".[24]
The groups hold regular meetings.[25][26] Other groups such as Women's Institutes and schools have also been involved in projects.[27] The collective is self-funded and receives donated materials from supporters.[24]
A self-proclaimed 'burnt-out activist' who disliked the image of the aggressive activist, but wanted to do something to change the world,[17] Sarah Corbett was involved in activism while growing up in Liverpool and then studying at the University of Manchester.[20] She worked for traditional charities for seven years.[10] It was after moving to London for a job in 2007[19] and joining various activist groups that she started getting increasingly into her hobby of cross-stitch, finding that it helped with stress.
She didn't feel like she fit into any of the activist groups she joined in London.[2] She had been cross-stitching as a hobby since the age of 18 and in August 2008[15] had the 'light bulb' idea to combine the two.[20]
Corbett set up the Lonely Craftivist blog in 2008[20] and began receiving comments and emails from people around the world asking to join in. She held a first meeting[2] and got in touch with sociologist Betsy Greer who coined the word 'craftivism' in 2003.[28] Greer encouraged[22] Corbett to found and coordinate a national group called Craftivist Collective.[20] In 2012, Corbett went part-time at her Oxfam job to devote more time to the collective,[29] and in October 2012 she gave up her job to work full-time for Craftivist Collective.[28]
The collective's work employs craft to speak to broader issues. In 2010 and 2011, the group left 'samplers' around London Fashion Week Sites with cross-stitched statistics on the low wages of laborers making the clothes that high-paid fashion models wore on the runway.[30] Sarah Corbett encourages people to send cross-stitched messages to politicians, arguing that they are more memorable than an email or a petition.[31] In 2015, Corbett and the Craftivist Collective researched the members of the board for Marks & Spencer, a retail company that failed to pay its employees livable wages.[32] The group presented cross-stitched gifts to M&S board members, encouraging the company to pay 50,000 of their staff members fairly. Ten months later, the company made significant changes to their wages; Corbett said that the board took her side and that it was "the most powerful campaign they'd witnessed."[32]
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