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ANN WILLIAMSON,The Topeka Capital-Journal
The first rule of The Craftivists is simple: It has to be fun.
The group started two years ago, when it spun off from a Girls Craft Night the four friends had together. They then became The Craftivists after they made handmade cards and poems that were then sent to then-Gov. Mark Parkinson. The name comes from their desire to mix craft and activism together.
The notes were a thank-you for restoring funding to Planned Parenthood and a criticism for his work with Sunflower Electric Power Corp. on a power plant expansion in Holcomb.
"Thanks for standing up for women's rights, wish you could have found a better way to keep on the lights," one note read.
"We thought maybe they would get looked at it because they were handmade," Michelle McCormick said. "So that was funny and fun, and we started making more, and people started responding to what we were doing."
The four women — McCormick, Nikki MacMillan, Sara O'Keeffe and Laura Burton — met when they all worked as victim advocates for the YWCA's Battered Women Task Force, which is now named the YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment. McCormick has moved on to another job, and the others still work at the YWCA.
The group uses repurposed or recycled goods to make jewelry, buttons, pendants and their signature item, The Craftivist Window. The windows developed when they were asked to do something for a group of seemingly useless windows that had been taken out of the YWCA.
"Our director said we really would like it if you could make something with these to benefit the agency," MacMillan said. "We asked a lot of people what would they do with these windows, and no one could give us anything. Finally, we said we are going to figure something out."
The windows are usually spray-painted with a lace stencil and then decorated with decorated transparencies.
"We modified an art project that we had seen from glass plates," McCormick said. "The first window debuted at the Concealed Revealed Art Auction for the YWCA. People really liked it then, so we started making more, and for the first year, everything that we made was donated to charities for art auctions."
The Craftivists see the windows as a blank canvas for their work.
"The nice thing about windows is that they are fairly easy to reinvent," Burton said. "And we've gone lots of different directions with them."
They began selling their work in order to be able to buy more supplies. They continue to donate to charities. Their wares can be found at The Elective in NOTO, short for the North Topeka Art District.
In two years, they have gone from having craft nights to being the featured artist at the 2011 Aaron Douglas Art Fair, when they were named the people's choice for their booth.
The cost of their products range from $5 for a pendant to between $75 and $250 for the windows.
"We feel like most people would be able to accommodate a smaller piece in their house, and they can hang it on their wall," O'Keeffe said.
"We always benefit a charity, and we prefer local," McCormick said.
Charities that have benefited from their donations include the YWCA, the Great Mural Wall of Topeka, the Topeka Rescue Mission and the Topeka Bicycle Project.
The group also makes and sells buttons that are pro-Kansas and pro-Topeka.
"I'm a big fan of buttons," Burton said. "I think people should wear their hearts on their clothing."
A lot of the group's artwork features birds flying away. And while they will joke, "If you like it you should have put a bird on it," the images have a serious meaning.
"All of our backgrounds are working with domestic violence, and there's that symbol that you are able to travel and not trapped," Burton said. "When you think about women, which is often the subject of our art, that is a big focus for us: freedom of movement and freedom of choice."
MacMillan agreed.
"You see birds so much in survivor art, and so much of that is birds breaking free," MacMillan said. "I think that is an image that speaks to us."
The Craftivists are planning a gift to show their appreciation for Topeka on Valentine's Day. They aren't giving anything away yet, but say that the gift will be easy to spot.
"It's a special surprise for the Topeka community," Burton said. "We love Topeka so much. Topeka is our Valentine."
ANN WILLIAMSON,The Topeka Capital-Journal
The first rule of The Craftivists is simple: It has to be fun.
The group started two years ago, when it spun off from a Girls Craft Night the four friends had together. They then became The Craftivists after they made handmade cards and poems that were then sent to then-Gov. Mark Parkinson. The name comes from their desire to mix craft and activism together.
The notes were a thank-you for restoring funding to Planned Parenthood and a criticism for his work with Sunflower Electric Power Corp. on a power plant expansion in Holcomb.
"Thanks for standing up for women's rights, wish you could have found a better way to keep on the lights," one note read.
"We thought maybe they would get looked at it because they were handmade," Michelle McCormick said. "So that was funny and fun, and we started making more, and people started responding to what we were doing."
The four women — McCormick, Nikki MacMillan, Sara O'Keeffe and Laura Burton — met when they all worked as victim advocates for the YWCA's Battered Women Task Force, which is now named the YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment. McCormick has moved on to another job, and the others still work at the YWCA.
The group uses repurposed or recycled goods to make jewelry, buttons, pendants and their signature item, The Craftivist Window. The windows developed when they were asked to do something for a group of seemingly useless windows that had been taken out of the YWCA.
"Our director said we really would like it if you could make something with these to benefit the agency," MacMillan said. "We asked a lot of people what would they do with these windows, and no one could give us anything. Finally, we said we are going to figure something out."
The windows are usually spray-painted with a lace stencil and then decorated with decorated transparencies.
"We modified an art project that we had seen from glass plates," McCormick said. "The first window debuted at the Concealed Revealed Art Auction for the YWCA. People really liked it then, so we started making more, and for the first year, everything that we made was donated to charities for art auctions."
The Craftivists see the windows as a blank canvas for their work.
"The nice thing about windows is that they are fairly easy to reinvent," Burton said. "And we've gone lots of different directions with them."
They began selling their work in order to be able to buy more supplies. They continue to donate to charities. Their wares can be found at The Elective in NOTO, short for the North Topeka Art District.
In two years, they have gone from having craft nights to being the featured artist at the 2011 Aaron Douglas Art Fair, when they were named the people's choice for their booth.
The cost of their products range from $5 for a pendant to between $75 and $250 for the windows.
"We feel like most people would be able to accommodate a smaller piece in their house, and they can hang it on their wall," O'Keeffe said.
"We always benefit a charity, and we prefer local," McCormick said.
Charities that have benefited from their donations include the YWCA, the Great Mural Wall of Topeka, the Topeka Rescue Mission and the Topeka Bicycle Project.
The group also makes and sells buttons that are pro-Kansas and pro-Topeka.
"I'm a big fan of buttons," Burton said. "I think people should wear their hearts on their clothing."
A lot of the group's artwork features birds flying away. And while they will joke, "If you like it you should have put a bird on it," the images have a serious meaning.
"All of our backgrounds are working with domestic violence, and there's that symbol that you are able to travel and not trapped," Burton said. "When you think about women, which is often the subject of our art, that is a big focus for us: freedom of movement and freedom of choice."
MacMillan agreed.
"You see birds so much in survivor art, and so much of that is birds breaking free," MacMillan said. "I think that is an image that speaks to us."
The Craftivists are planning a gift to show their appreciation for Topeka on Valentine's Day. They aren't giving anything away yet, but say that the gift will be easy to spot.
"It's a special surprise for the Topeka community," Burton said. "We love Topeka so much. Topeka is our Valentine."
