Older adults’ philanthropic crafting of face masks during COVID-19

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, people of all ages began sewing fabric face masks. Organized through separate grassroots movements, oftentimes using social media platforms, people pooled their resources to make masks for front line workers and others in desperate need. While some people sold these face masks, many participated in philanthropic crafting, donating them to hospitals and other health care centres. Older adults were identified early on as being particularly vulnerable to the effects of the virus, and so their response to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic through crafting was salient. This study investigated the experience of philanthropic hand crafting by older adults who were living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-seven older adults of age 60–87 who sewed masks for others were interviewed. A comprehensive data analysis of these interviews yielded 39 descriptive codes that were collapsed into eight themes: emotions, engagement, meaning, relationships, accomplishment, intellect, moral values and agency. One finding was that there were psychological, relational and existential benefits for the crafters. Making masks allowed participants to help other people, and it gave the participants a feeling of value, worthiness and purpose. Additionally, participants felt more in control in a chaotic world as they made masks to protect themselves, their loved ones, as well as strangers. The philanthropic crafting enhanced older adults’ well-being in many ways, and lessons learned from this study could be extended into ‘normal times’. For example, more older adults would be able to participate in craft-based philanthropy if they had access to the tools and materials. They would be more motivated if they received thank you notes and pictures of the recipients using their handmade gifts, and if they could express their creativity more. Finally, creating a physical or virtual community for older adults around craft philanthropy would help older adults feel more connected to and supported by their peers, and the community at large.

Crafticulation as a method of knowledge creation

Our aim in this article is to introduce the idea of ‘crafticulation’ as a part of scientific method and to present a case study related to it. A novel course, Materializing in Craft Science, was offered in the first year of the craft teacher master’s degree at the University of Helsinki. The aim of the course was to pilot a method of crafticulation by materializing theoretical mind maps. Crafticulation consists of the words, ‘craft’ and ‘articulation’ and further, crafticulation is seen as a part of practice-led research in which craft plays a key role in eliciting a wide spectrum of knowledge. Our research question is how crafticulation emerged in students’ inquiry processes. The research data included twenty individual mind maps, materializations and reflections of the course. Based on theory-driven data analysis, the results indicated that many students used crafticulation for demonstration purposes. For example, they tested the connection between their craft-making process and well-being. Another approach was to convey a certain experience by way of crafticulation. In some cases, crafticulation was linked to analogies and metaphors in learning theoretical concepts. Furthermore, the students found new avenues in which to reflect research topics and to deepen their inquiry processes.

Weaving and dyeing: The traditional crafts of the Yi people of Meigu Liangshan, China

This article explores the making process and inheritance of a mysterious and unique Chinese folk craft tradition, the art of weaving and dyeing among the Yi people of Meigu Liangshan. From field research in Meigu Liangshan whose textile weaving and dyeing is relatively well preserved, we explore the national cultural significance and scientific connotation contained in this tradition by focusing on the making process of two representative woven and dyed wool products, pizhan and caerwa. We also reveal the relationship between the developments of this craft tradition and society. We find that the weaving and dyeing of the Yi people is a combination of art and science, which contains a large number of textile, dyeing and finishing knowledge and skills, which are gradually declining with the development and change of Chinese society as a whole. Based on this situation, we analyse the reasons why weaving and dyeing amongst the Yi of Meigu Liangshan is endangered and give some suggestions for the future preservation of this craft.

Plant imagery in Indian craft practice: A pedagogical resource

This research explores craft practices in India to understand how they could be used as cultural resources for studying plants. Existing scholarship on a range of craft practices across India reveals an extensive use of real plants, plant representations and plant references. Real plants are used as the primary base raw material, as part of making and production processes and as supporting resources within the wider ecology where craft traditions are practised. Plant representations are seen in three-dimensional ornaments and structures, as well as in two-dimensional decoration and surface patterns. Plants are also referenced through various metaphors and analogies in textual descriptions and verbal accounts of craft practices. This wide botanical presence in Indian craft practices highlights the significant role played by plants in Indian cultural traditions and can be attributed to the centrality of agriculture and religion to the lives of India’s craft practitioners. India’s craft traditions are a rich pedagogical resource as they draw attention to a range of historical, botanical, ethnobotanical and economic aspects of plant use and can serve as a platform to raise critical discussions about the importance of plants to human life and the planet.

The Material Culture of Basketry: Practice, Skill and Embodied Knowledge, Stephanie Bunn and Victoria Mitchell (eds) (2021)

Review of: The Material Culture of Basketry: Practice, Skill and Embodied Knowledge, Stephanie Bunn and Victoria Mitchell (eds) (2021) London and New York: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 286 pp., ISBN 978-1-35009-403-1, h/bk, £85.00

Ceramic, Art and Civilisation, Paul Greenhalgh (2020)

Review of: Ceramic, Art and Civilisation, Paul Greenhalgh (2020) London: Bloomsbury, 512 pp., ISBN 978-1-47423-979-7, h/bk, £30.00; ISBN 978-1-47423-972-1, ePDF, £27.00; ISBN 978-1-47423-973-8, eBook, £27.00

Wuthigrai Siriphon: Highlighting tradition

The innovative output of Wuthigrai Siriphon draws on his Thai heritage and extensive knowledge and practical experience of regional textile craft techniques. But whilst his work often references historical forms and colour palettes, his studio textiles are far from staid, exhibiting a modernist sensibility frequently verging on the spectacular. Securely pigeonholing such a creative practitioner is always problematic, but any attempt at categorization is made even more difficult so once the viewer acknowledges the layered nature of South East Asian textile practice. This is a region where traditional understandings of fabric and colour still compete with modernist perspectives on design, material selection and colour application and rural craft weavers continue to make a living alongside industrial factories. Wuthigrai and his ouvre is a product of this complex and vibrant material culture, highlighting tradition whilst retaining its contemporary relevance.

Preserving cultural craft heritage: Digitizing a traditional Syrian clothing collection

This project explores the importance of the preservation of diverse private collections of crafted artefacts, and specifically improving digital access. The focus is on the transformation of an assemblage of 100 Syrian garments held in the United States into a museum-quality, publicly accessible archive. Private collections that are not financially endowed face various challenges, including their culturally valuable content being inaccessible and underseen. The goal of archiving and exhibiting this collection of garments is to share Syria’s dress and craft history as a form of identity, community, economy, artistic expression and technological development. Each item is unique, representing an everyday life that no longer exists. As people moved to new geographical locations, craft traditions were not always carried with them. Consequently, the garments and accessories in this collection feature dyeing techniques, metalwork and symbolic representations of different generations of Syrian people from this ancient to present civilization. Throughout the research process, we learned to synthesize the core issues of contemporary craft heritage management, with an initial goal to build a new digital archiving method and template to benefit small or private collections outside of institutions. First, we determined how to do so using affordable and accessible tools, in line with manageable industry standards. Digital photography, metadata development, object labelling, and anecdotal interviews complement the existing collection information. The long-term goal is the dissemination of the collection through exhibitions, interactive websites, symposiums and publications. Museums are working harder to diversify their collections, and many private collections represent marginalized cultures or do not fit within the established parameters of public institutions. This study touches upon the disparate and specific needs of private versus public collecting, and how to bridge some of the gaps using standardized digitization techniques towards similar preservation and outreach goals.