Craft Action Collective
Want to creatively challenge injustice, but don’t know where to start?
Craft Action Collective is a creative group which will seek to think deeply and respond to injustices in a gentle, careful way through craft and printmaking.
With courage and care we’ll talk, discuss and make together. It’s quiet activism for everyone, including introverts, where we’ll use the medium of craft to stand alongside others.
It’s helpful if you let us know you are planning on coming, by emailing gemma@saw-newcastle.org
Upcoming sessions
Sessions are on the first and third Tuesday of every month (except August), 6:30 – 8pm
17 January: New Year, New News: Which headline do you think is most important? Using paper cutting techniques inspired by artist Myriam Dion, we’ll recycle, alter, cut and snip to ask questions about how we tell the news and what happens after it hits the recycling bin.
7 February: Weave a thread through the news and the issues. How can we make and think more permanently and consistently about the news stories which make us think, cry or shout? We’ll be using simple and gentle sewing techniques to think more carefully about issues that make us stop and think.
21 February: It’s pancake day! Join us for some feasting together. One of the original reasons for Pancake day was to combat food waste. How can we think about waste, value and sharing in today’s society?
7 March: Headline news: bringing together paper cutting and sewing techniques, we’ll gather together and discuss how and why the world’s news is reduced to a single front page. What impact does this have on how we think about the news? We’ll experiment by making our own large-scale front page.
21 March Wintergreen oil transfer and paper rubbing techniques: Learning Wintergreen oil transfer* and using paper rubbing techniques to think about how we define if something is valuable? Monetary worth, the market or the fact it’s made by human hand? SAW’s exhibition Light Hands (with Lighter Hearts) uses print and textile to compare personal possessions and museum objects, questioning the systems which prescribe value to each of them. Facilitated by artists Alice Wong & Inés Buchanan. This session was previously advertised as 7th March.
*Wintergreen oil transfer is a technique which allows you to transfer an image onto paper, whilst also giving a lovely hand-crafted look.
Tue 4 April & Tue 2 May: Weaving friendliness Our everyday interactions can brighten each other’s lives. Whether it’s saying hello to a shop assistant or talking to a stranger about the weather, all these small interactions combat loneliness. By making spirograph string art, we’ll think about the importance of these small interactions.
Please note there will be no session on 18 April
Tue 16 May & Tue 6 June: News, friendship & common ground In a world at odds, how do we talk to each other about the news, avoid being an echo chamber and disagree well with our friends? We’ll use thread, weaving and zine techniques to work out how we can find common ground.
Tue 20 June Imprinted Clay Bowls We’ll make clay bowls imprinted with the weaving we’ve made over the last few sessions, to remind us of the importance of connections. You can also bring along fabric or small objects, which remind you of friends, to imprint your bowls with.
All workshops are free (donations welcome) and suitable for adults
It’s helpful if you let us know you are planning on coming, by emailing gemma@saw-newcastle.org (6 September requires booking)
“I have found the Craft Collective workshops so welcoming, gently challenging and personally nurturing”
“The people both attending and facilitating seem genuinely invested in the positive outcomes of combining craft with informative discussions around issues.”
“It felt a very gentle, inclusive space…the team are so welcoming and accepting of everyone who comes through the door.”
“People are happy to talk, the facilitators are helpful, and we can just quietly get on if we prefer”
What Craft Action Collective participants think about the group
Face Masks & Covid precautions (updated 5 April 2022)
We are encouraging visitors to our exhibitions and events to still wear face masks when inside the building. We have many different friends in our community and for some Covid is still a big risk. So please be kind, caring and considerate to those around you, as we seek to care for everyone in our communities and put others before ourselves.
Craft Action Collective will have a maximum of 15 – 20 participants per session. We’ll ensure windows and doors are open for maximum ventilation. We’ll also provide hand sanitiser.
Past sessions have included:
letterpress printing, texture printing, sewing, seed paper making and making dyes from common plants & weeds.
Tue 12 & 26 Apr, 6.30-8pm // Craft Action Collective: Seed paper & printing
On 12 April*, collectively create seed paper and chat about why and how we should care for the natural world as individuals and as community.
*The 12 April session has been postponed. This session will provisionally now take place on Tuesday 14th June, 6:30 – 8pm.
On 26 April, we’ll respond to eco issues through the medium of print. Our prints will incorporate our seed paper to create a unique conversation starter.
Tue 10 & 24 May, 6.30-8pm // Craft Action Collective: Dyes from plants
On 10 May, we’ll make inks and dyes using plants commonly recognised as weeds.
On 24 May, we’ll block print and paint napkins with our plant-based dyes. Using natural patterns and colours attractive to bees, we’ll explore bees’ connection to the food we eat and how best to protect them
June dates: Seed paper & printing
14 June, Craft session: create seed paper and chat about why and how we should care for the natural world as individuals and as a community.
28 June, Print session: printing textures, patterns and letterpress to draw attention to eco issues
Tue 12 July, Lino printing session: inspired by wildflowers & vegetables in the SAW garden
Tue 26 July Making fabric succulents & sedumsWe’ll be making fabric succulents and sedums together. You don’t need to be confident with a sewing needle for this, as we’ll be using fabric glue, although you’re welcome to add some sewing if you would like.
6 September: Making bird boxes
We’ll construct homes for birds which will be distributed around the local area. We’ll be thinking about how we can create better homes for wildlife in our local area. Booking is required for this session – please email the address below.
20 September: Photo & magazine image transfer
Who in power would you like to have a conversation with? Using an image transfer technique which enables you to turn any magazine cutting or laser printout into a sticker for collage or zine making, we’ll think about the power that conversations and stories hold.
4 October: Using Print & mark making to think further about why conversations and stories are important, and how we can make sure everyone’s story is heard.
18 October: Making simple books & zines as a way to think about stories, questions and protest. We’ll use the prints we’ve made in the previous two sessions to make the pages.
1 November: Stamp, fold, collage and make zines- continuing with some of the craft techniques we’ve done over the past few weeks as a way to think about stories, questions and protest. Join in whether or not you’ve been to Craft Action before. This session will also include a reminder of the book making and copy transfer techniques we did during October – so pop along if you missed those sessions or would like to run through the techniques again.
15 November: making shaker window pages which reveal or hide different stories, in order to think about what we would like the future to reveal. Using lavender harvested from SAW’s garden.
6 December, Advent craft social: Make a Christmas decoration, think about the past year and future hopes. Munch on mince pies & festive snacks.
