Posted by ursonate on 2004-11-29 22:16:20
Post Subject: Austin - Gifted
I will be selling my felted jewelry this week and next at an event called Gifted and here are the details:
Get Gifted at the work*shop
A holiday shopping series featuring Austin-made handicrafts
December 2 (Part of First Thursday) 5pm - 10pm
December 9 5pm - 10pm
Just say no to generic gifts! Join us at the work*shop for Gifted - a shopping event offering truly unique handmade items. Jewelry, household items, clothing and accessories for children and adults are just a few of the items you'll see. Music and refreshments too!
the work*shop
1211 West 6th Street, Ste. 400
http://www.theworkshopaustin.com
Posted by Maria from Rock Camp on 2005-11-08 13:42:02
Post Subject: The Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls wants *your art*!!
Hey there!
The Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls is having our first annual Rock & Roll Auction Extravaganza on Saturday, December 3rd, 7pm, at the Knitting Factory. We are especially looking for artists to donate arty undies and t-shirts for the auction. Here’s what you can do:
*Go get a pair of cute boy or girl undies (new, please!) or a t-shirt/jersey/button-down of some sort.
*Decorate them in some interesting and unique way- screenprinting, beading, etc. are all encouraged. Feel free to make more than one!
*Donate yr awesome handicraft to us. You might want to make a little label for yr handicrafts, so that folks know how they can order more of yr fabulous unique undies and t-shirts- let ‘em know how they can contact you!
*Yr rad handiwork will hang on a clothesline at the auction, displayed for all to see, fall in love with, and bid on.
*Yr rad handiwork will hang on a clothesline at the auction, displayed for all to see, fall in love with, and bid on.
*Come to our auction to watch yr stuff get auctioned off!
All donations to rock camp are tax-deductible. To get involved in this project, contact me at maria(at)riseup.net or volunteer(at)williemaerockcamp.org. Thanks a ton!!
Love,
The Ladies of the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls
www.williemaerockcamp.org
Posted by kanwal on 2005-07-01 16:40:47
Post Subject: attention
Hello, I am kanwal from Pakistan.I am a permanent reader of this page. I belong to a labor-intensive country. Here people are use to make things of daily use with their own hands. Especially village people are most hardworking and creative. I want to say that there are many unique handicrafts and techniques that are new for western people for example hand made furniture, jewelry, different types of decoration pots, typical methods of fabric dying.Here there is a large variation of atmosphere, land, living and obviously of crafts in different areas. So from here you can have hundreds ideas of crafts and needle works.Especially first of all I want to send you making of some new stitches and needle works. Please urgently tell me complete method to publish in this magazine the making of a new stitch. I think it will yield good response of readers. My address is "M. Nasir Mirza House No 336/67/94 St No 6 ShahFasil colony Mohalla AmeerAbad Rijwana Road Multan Pakistan".mel skin. Camel skin lamps are most popular here.I want to send you some pictures but cannot do so tell me the easy way.
Posted by kanwal on 2005-07-01 16:44:01
Post Subject: Re: attention
Hello, I am kanwal from Pakistan.I am a permanent reader of this page. I belong to a labor-intensive country. Here people are use to make things of daily use with their own hands. Especially village people are most hardworking and creative. I want to say that there are many unique handicrafts and techniques that are new for western people for example hand made furniture, jewelry, different types of decoration pots, typical methods of fabric dying.Here there is a large variation of atmosphere, land, living and obviously of crafts in different areas. So from here you can have hundreds ideas of crafts and needle works.Especially first of all I want to send you making of some new stitches and needle works. Please urgently tell me complete method to publish in this magazine the making of a new stitch. I think it will yield good response of readers. My address is "M. Nasir Mirza House No 336/67/94 St No 6 ShahFasil colony Mohalla AmeerAbad Rijwana Road Multan Pakistan".mel skin. Camel skin lamps are most popular here.I want to send you some pictures but cannot do so tell me the easy way.
Posted by Julia on 2007-01-26 19:28:42
Post Subject:
Good news -- I think I found the needle -- it's similar to a Russian punch or bunka needle. I love how so many handicrafts cross cultures in a wide array of permutations, much like fairy tales.
So now all I have to do is learn to crochet edges by next Saturday (all I can crochet now is a single chain) but anything for la causa!
Posted by audreypillow on 2005-10-12 16:53:27
Post Subject: "CRAFTY CULTURE" Chicago panel discussion on "
Hi craftistas! What follows is a press release for an event I am putting together at work (Columbia College Chicago) that may finally give us crafters some serious cred as culture-makers and agents of social change. Transcripts of the discussion will be available in January for out-of-towners, but if you're in Chicago -- be there! --XOXO, Audrey Michelle, amast@colum.edu
For Immediate Release October 7, 2005
Media Contact: Micki Leventhal 312-344-7383
or Elizabeth Burke-Dain 312-344-8695
A HANDMADE REVOLUTION
Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media Presents Panel Discussion at Columbia College Chicago
That Explores Political Implications and Possibilities of “Craftivism”
WHAT: Crafty Culture: Feminism, Activism, and the DIY Ethic
A panel discussion with local women active in the Chicago DIY (do it yourself) arts community: graphics professional and “craftivist” Cinnamon Cooper; Time Out Chicago magazine “Check Out” editor Annie Tomlin; and painter and poet Alejandra Velera. Moderated by Annette Ferrara, cultural content provider and managing editor of Flavorpill.net. Q & A follows.
Jane M. Saks and Audrey M. Mast of the Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media are available for interviews.
Crafting – knitting, needlepoint, beading, scrapbooking, sewing and more – can be a hobby, a way to unwind and a creative outlet. It can also be a way to reclaim traditional women’s work with a modern spin, start one’s own business, save money, reject prepackaged/sweatshop-produced merchandise, recycle, raise funds or donate goods for charitable causes, and mobilize for political action. Columbia’s Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media presents a panel discussion that will explore the possibilities of “craftivism.”
While crafting is often a solitary activity, the popularity of such groups as Stitch ’n’ Bitch, indie art/crafts fairs, magazines like ReadyMade and Web sites such as craftster.org has helped likeminded women (and men) to network, exchange ideas and market their products. While these communities and media outlets mostly exist outside the mainstream media, there has been a less political, yet no less pervasive DIY lifestyle trend in mainstream media as espoused by Martha Stewart, Home Depot and the glut of domestic-themed cable TV offerings.
Crafty culture is part of a centuries-old history of women connecting, organizing and effecting change through handicrafts. It has been suggested that during the Civil War era, African American women’s quilt designs were coded maps of the Underground Railroad. But as domestic prowess has become less of a requirement and more of a choice, modern women can approach it with a healthy dose of irreverence. Today’s indie crafters are grounded in postmodern self-awareness.
Crafting can be examined as a new phase in the DIY phenomenon, with its ideals of empowerment, accessibility and community, which began with the self-publishing of the Beats and Situationists, mail art, pirate radio in the ’60s, the anti-consumerist politics of punk rock, the rise of independent record labels, zine culture, and the ’90s Riot Grrrl movement. Yet crafty culture may present a reverse rebellion: instead of the sharp critique of domesticity offered by second-wave feminists, contemporary crafters are embracing and celebrating the domestic arts as relevant, viable and creative work.
What does crafty culture mean for a post-third wave generation of feminists? Why is this trend happening now – might crafts be more popular in times of war, economic downturn and political conflict? How can we channel our creative passions into activism? In an aesthetic environment obsessed with high design, what place do our handcrafted objects have – and are they truly valued in our economic system? Do they have any cultural capital? Does crafty culture attract a wide range of participants in terms of race, class and gender?
WHEN: Thursday, November 3, 6 – 8 pm
WHERE: Film Row Cinema theatre, 1104 S. Wabash, 8th Floor
HOW MUCH: Free and open to the public
MORE INFO:
Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media, 312-344-8829 or amast@colum.edu
WHO:
The Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media is a new entity at Columbia College Chicago and the first and only institute of its kind in the US. Our mission is to research, debate, archive and investigate significant societal and cultural issues related to women and gender in the arts and media.
Posted by Katrin on 2005-04-18 15:50:20
Post Subject: Vintage craft books
Lately I've been finding lots of how-to craft books from the '60s & '70s in thrift stores, and I've begun to amass quite the little collection. Does anyone else collect books like these?
There seem to have been a lot of multi-volume series of these books, so it's easy to pick up several at a time, cheap. At first I just bought them for the cheezy dated photos and language (one set uses the adjective "gay" to describe almost every project). But then I started noticing something: The books are good. They cover a huge variety of handicrafts, and they do it in depth.
The instructions are usually detailed enough for a beginner to follow, but never condescending or oversimplified. The books don't assume the reader is completely ignorant, and they don't treat crafts like a fad that's of interest to only a chosen few. They take for granted that crafts are something normal people do.
In these old books, crafts are not:
- Something hip and trendy (meaning mostly for the young, who'll likely lose interest quickly and move on to the next thing)
- Arcane knowledge that's in danger of being lost (meaning it's good that somebody knows this stuff, but those who do are eccentrics)
- A political statement (neither saying that crafts are a quaint but non-essential pastime for those unfit for real work, nor angrily out to prove they're the opposite of that. Crafters simply take pride and satisfaction in their creations, without worrying they'll be appreciated for the wrong reason.)
Many of these books are from the era of my childhood, and they reflect the attitude my mother and her friends had: These are fun and useful things that anyone can do, including you, and here's how. Much as I do appreciate the updated styles in the newer "revival" books (and simply the fact that they exist), there's a wealth of valuable knowledge in taking a look back.
Posted by Katrin on 2006-02-11 17:34:46
Post Subject:
I don't really label my craft activities as "political", but I suppose others might; it just doesn't occur to me to use that word. My crafts definitely intentionally reflect my opinions and beliefs - including the very strong belief that it's better to share your values quietly by living as an example rather than preaching and bullying about them.
1. I use as many salvaged or recycled materials as I can. This evolved out of financial necessity at first, but the more I learn about the resources and energy it takes to produce (for instance) textiles, the more it simply makes sense to repurpose items that already exist, especially if they'd otherwise be discarded. I do still often get the urge to buy craft supplies ('cause let's face it, shopping is fun) - but if I must, I try to buy things secondhand before resorting to brand-new.
2. I make functional objects (mostly clothing, in my case) and make a point of being seen using them. I've been thinking a lot lately about the prevailing attitude that handmade items are less "legitimate" than store-bought, mass-produced ones (unless they're made by those nameless, faceless, hardworking rustic peasants in some faraway land, in which case they are fetishized). There's no in-between, no concept that "regular people" can make things that are both real useful everyday objects and real art. I want to dispel the notion that handicrafts must be either a substandard imitation or a magical totem.
Posted by canary on 2005-11-26 20:18:42
Post Subject:
getcrafty is the online community where I feel most comfortable and willing to participate. No art snobs here! We have the freedom to express ourselves, share our creations, pose an idea, or the most important thing: inspiration.
Could be that handmade items are gaining in the market because folks are realizing the quality and charm of handicrafts---in comparison to the Made in China knockoffs that flood the Dollar store and discount stores. Just my humble observation.
I'm crafting because it's my desire---I'm on getcrafty because it caters to my passion. I still get the same "connected" feeling everytime I logon.
