How To Be A Craftivist: The Art Of Gentle Protest

Description

How to Be a Craftivist is a manifesto for quiet activism: how to tackle issues not with shouting and aggression but with gentle protest, using the process of `making' to engage thoughtfully in the issues we are about, to influence and effect change. Sarah Corbett - professional campaigner and founder of the Craftivist Collective - shares her journey from burnt-out activist, tired of marching, confrontation and demonizing opposition, towards a more respectful activism: using craft to contemplate global issues, provoke thought and start conversations rather than arguments; to engage, empower and encourage people on and offline to become part of change in the face of injustice, inequality and prejudice. Interwoven with Sarah's personal stories of causes fought are ideas and suggestions for every novice craftivist. From how to think about the medium itself, to looking at colour, fonts, size and message, here is inspiration for every detail of your creation. In today's world it's easy to feel helpless, but here is a book to initiate debates rather than shouting matches, to enable collaboration in place of confrontation. Gentleness can be a great strength, and quiet action can sometimes speak as powerfully amid the noise as the loudest voice. And if we want a world that is beautiful, kind and fair... shouldn't our activism be beautiful, kind and fair?

Author description

Sarah Corbett is a professional campaigner, most recently with Oxfam. She set up the global Craftivist Collective in 2009, providing projects, tools and services to individuals and organisations wanting to learn effective craftivism. She is now one of the leading spokespeople in the craftivism movement. Sarah has worked with art institutions, such as the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum; charities, such as Save the Children and Unicef; cult jewellers Tatty Devine; Secret Cinema and many others. She has taught her approach to craftivism at universities including Bauhaus University in Germany and Parsons New School in New York City. Her first book, A Little Book of Craftivism, was published October 2013. She lives in London.