Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Fall 2020 Exhibitions

Crafting Democracy

Crafting is another way of saying making. To craft is ultimately to make something, whether crafting an argument or crafting an object. Textile or fiber crafts—sewing, embroidery, knitting, crocheting, and weaving, to name just a few—have associations as “women's work,” while also existing as artforms in a contemporary context. Perhaps we think of these objects with nostalgia: a warm sweater from a loved one, or sewing a quilt as a thrifty way to reuse fabric, processes that require time and seem to stem from a bygone era. But craft is anything but bygone. Craft was, and is, always political. Crafting Democracy, organized by Juilee Decker and Hinda Mandell, shows how objects of material culture can engage everyday citizens, including those of marginalized identities, as productive tools in deliberative democracies; craft can also aid those wanting their voices to be amplified through the process of making. Our goals in our exhibition and public events are to engage communities in thinking about democracy in ways that are accessible, open to all ages, hands-on, and meaningful. Crafting Democracy seeks to highlight examples of contemporary craft activism that have recently soared, placing them into conversation with their historical precedents. Crafting Democracy demonstrates the ways in which craft is employed as a tool of expression that gives voice to people who seek an active role in democracy.

Events

October 15
"Dressing for Change: The Black Political Aesthetic in Early Twentieth Century New York City"
The early twentieth century was a critical moment in black women’s struggle for civil rights. This lecture examines how black women in New York City during this era used dress and sartorial style in their claim for full citizenship.
Janette Gayle, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of History, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Location: Zoom
Time: 5 pm

October 22, October 23, October 24
Zine binding workshop facilitated by Laura Rowley, to bind a zine on craft and democracy in the Finger Lakes
Location: October 22: lawn outside Houghton House; October 23: Finger Lakes Visitors Center pavilion, Geneva; October 24: lawn outside the Ovid Public Library
Time: 1-5 pm in Geneva, 11 am-1 pm in Ovid

October 29
"Making and Meaning: A Conversation with Betsy Greer & Crafting Democracy Artists"
Join us for a conversation about craftivism with stitcher, writer, and maker Betsy Greer (hellobetsygreer.com) and artists whose works are featured in the exhibition Crafting Democracy. We will also invite attendees to share their thoughts about the importance of craft and activism, its multiplicity of form, and potential for meaning-making.
Location: Zoom
Time: 6 pm

November 13
Viewing and discussion of Wool and War films with filmmakers Trish FitzSimons and Madelyn Shaw
Viewers watch the documentaries on their own time
Location: Q&A with filmmakers on Zoom
Time: 7 pm
Crafting Democracy Website