Quiet Activism and the New Amateur: The Power of Home and Hobby Crafts

This article contributes to debates about the expanded, and expanding, nature of crafts by exploring the activist potential of amateur, domestic crafts and the associated ‘quiet activism’. In contrast to much recent work on the resurgence of interest in DIY craft culture, it argues for the emergence of a new historically conscious amateur practice. Women’s ‘making memories’ of the lived experience of home crafts in the first half of C20th and analyses of home craft features from 1930s women’s magazines interrogate the promotion of agency in marginalised feminine spaces. Interviews with two contemporary practitioners provide insight into historical continuities; the communities and concerns that coalesce around ‘old’ and ‘new’ media and making practices with their associated values, qualities, and knowledge economies., ‘Quiet Activism’ is part of on-going published research into amateur crafting and was developed from a paper given at the (DHS) Design Activism conference, Barcelona (2011). Dr. Guy Julier (Senior Research Fellow RCA) invited the article’s submission for a special edition on design activism. Reviewers described the paper as ‘extremely well written, timely and innovative’ and ‘advancing debates’ in the field. Related projects include, amongst others: a keynote lecture: ‘Hand-made Tales: Women and Domestic Crafts’ at the Women’s Library, London (2011); an AHRC-funded Research Studentship (Collaborative Doctoral Award) ‘Use Your Hands for Happiness’; ‘Crafts practice as a means of building community assets, health and well-being’ with Arts for Health Cornwall; Dr Hackney PI (£54,000) and AHRC funding (£28,000) for events focused on quiet activism and arts for health