What is Craftivism?
Craftivism is a contemporary form of activism that uses craft as its primary mode for political and social engagement, defined by the repurposing of traditional practices as tools for social expression, political commentary, and collective action. The movement is not tied to any single ideology, incorporating themes of anti-capitalism, environmentalism, solidarity, third-wave feminism, and other related movements. Much of the practice draws on techniques historically classified as the domestic arts—sewing, quilting, embroidery, and other forms of handwork traditionally associated with home and women’s labor—including various forms of needlework such as yarn-bombing or cross-stitch. In craftivism, engaging in the social and critical discourse around the work is central to its production and dissemination.
Origins & Lineage
The term craftivism was coined in 2003 by writer Betsy Greer to join the separate spheres of craft and activism, with her self-created definition stating that “craftivism is a way of looking at life where voicing opinions through creativity makes your voice stronger, your compassion deeper & your quest for justice more infinite”. Greer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1975, received her undergraduate degree in English literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1998, and her M.A. in sociology from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2004, currently residing in Durham, North Carolina. The term gained an online presence with the website Craftivism.com in 2003 to promote the symbiotic relationship between craft and activism. Greer started making crafts as a response to the United States Global War on Terror in the early 2000s, finding knitting and cross-stitching to be another form of political intervention.
Craftivism has roots that can be traced back to various social justice movements throughout history, with women during the suffrage movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries using their sewing skills to create banners, sashes, and textiles adorned with slogans and symbols advocating for women’s right to vote. More than 180 years before the craftivist manifesto, members of the Female Society for Birmingham were involved in the first large-scale political campaign by middle-class women: the nineteenth-century British anti-slavery campaign. Craftivism is often interpreted as having emerged from third-wave feminism, though feminist activism and craft were unified beforehand, with the Anti Capitalist, Anti Sweatshop and DIY movements popularizing practices of craft for activism and influencing third-wave feminists to adopt a craftivism ethos.
A significant parallel development occurred in 2009 when Sarah Corbett founded the Craftivist Collective, creating what she calls “Gentle Protest”—gentle not as in passive or weak, but as in compassionate and nuanced, slow, quiet, calm, focused, ego-less, hopeful, and humble.
How It’s Practiced
Craftivism manifests through diverse forms of making. Unlike traditional forms of activism, which may rely on confrontation or mass mobilization, craftivism often focuses on handmade items with a subtler, more personal impact. Practitioners create items that carry political messages, use crafts to raise awareness about specific issues, or engage communities in collective projects.
Specific practices include yarn bombing (also called guerrilla knitting), where large amounts of yarn and fabric are used to cover public objects or areas such as light posts, fire hydrants, tree branches and trunks. Some craftivists use their work to carry messages of protest and political activism, while others believe that the act of making craft can be an act of resistance. Cross-stitch activism involves creating small embroidered works with political messages, often left in public spaces or gifted to decision-makers. Community projects such as collaborative quilts, banner-making, and collective sewing circles bring people together around shared causes.
The movement is “about using what you can to express your feelings outward in a visual manner without yelling or placard waving. It was about paying attention and not letting your anger consume you, it was about channeling that anger in a productive and even loving way.” Some craftivists create items for charitable distribution—hats for chemotherapy patients, scarves for battered women’s shelters—while others use craft to raise funds for causes or to create visual protests at demonstrations.
Craftivism Today
Contemporary craftivism encompasses both global campaigns and individual acts. While the term garnered mainstream attention in coverage of the 2017 Women’s March on Washington after the inauguration of Donald Trump, when women protestors created and wore pink knit hats known as pussyhats in craftivist protests inspired in part by misogynistic remarks from Donald Trump. The Pussyhat Project, initiated after the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, aimed to create a “sea of pink” at the January 21, 2017 Women’s March in Washington and its sister events in cities globally.
Organizations like the Craftivist Collective offer kits, workshops, and online communities for craftivists. Corbett’s work has helped change laws, policies, hearts and minds around the world through innovative protests rooted in neuroscience and psychology that use the process of craft to help activists engage thoughtfully in social change issues and respond strategically. The emergence of online crafting communities has facilitated new forms of participation, with the social aspects of craft “considered highly salient” because of the “profoundly collective phenomenon” of practices like knitting.
Greer’s first book, Knitting For Good!, was published in 2008 by Roost Books, and in 2014 she edited and published an anthology called Craftivism: The Art of Craft and Activism with Arsenal Pulp Press, which includes the voices of 33 crafters, artists and makers. Workshops, exhibitions, and craftivism badges (including one created with Girlguiding UK) make the practice accessible to diverse audiences.
Common Misconceptions
Craftivism is not exclusively left-wing activism, despite its dominant association with progressive causes. In the spring of 2009, an online debate began over the definition of craftivism, with conservative members of the Etsy Craftivism Team accusing the group of assuming a liberal agenda and arguing that politics should not be involved. Some believe that craft itself carries messages of protest and political activism, others believe that the act of making craft can be an act of resistance, while still others see that by buying and selling directly from the maker, they challenge the pervasive corporate culture that promotes profit over people.
Craftivism is not synonymous with craft therapy or recreational making, though these overlap. Engaging in social and critical discourse around the work is central to its production and dissemination. The movement is also not limited to fiber arts—though these dominate—and can include ceramics, metalsmithing, papercrafts, and other traditional crafts used for activist purposes.
It is not always “gentle” in Corbett’s sense. While the Craftivist Collective emphasizes slow, contemplative, relationship-based activism, other practitioners embrace more confrontational street-art approaches or explicit political messaging. The movement contains tension between those who see craft-as-lifestyle as inherently political and those who argue for explicit activist messaging.
How to Begin
Begin with a cause that matters personally. Identify whether you want to create items for direct aid (hats for houseless people, blankets for shelters), raise awareness through public craft installations, or influence decision-makers through gifted handwork.
For structured guidance, read Greer’s Knitting For Good! (Roost Books, 2008) or Sarah Corbett’s How to Be a Craftivist: The Art of Gentle Protest (2017). Join online communities through platforms like Ravelry (though be aware of its stated political boundaries) or the Craftivist Collective website. Look for local stitch-ins, fiber arts groups, or maker spaces with social justice orientations.
Start small: embroider a message on a handkerchief, knit squares for a community quilt, or create small works of encouragement to leave in public spaces. Greer’s 2015 “you are so very beautiful” campaign asks people to create an affirmation starting with “you are…” and leave it where someone will find it. The key is to allow the slow, repetitive nature of handwork to deepen your reflection on the issue while your finished object becomes a catalyst for conversation.