Happy New Year My Friends!
I hope your 2024 is off to a solid start. I am currently digging myself out of my December to-do’s thanks to another round of covid. I was totally knocked out for all of December. That is such a shit feeling. Thankfully this week I feel just about normal. I’ll be rocking my mask for the next few months as it seems everyone is sick with something and I’m sick of everyone being sick.
This update is going to be a shorty since I’ve done nothing but sleep for a month. I am, however, gearing up for a BIG year with SO MUCH happening and I can’t wait to get y’all involved in all of the upcoming fun - the year of #MakeDontBreak AND my book comes out!!! I am so excited for all of this.
I am finally ready to book my workshops and events for the year so if you are in need…hit me up! I love to bring the craft and craftivism to libraries, schools, colleges, cultural institutions, organizations, museums, book stores, shops, you name it. I’ve been everywhere. If you need me to be guest lecture, let’s get that on the books asap. Do you have an upcoming initiative or campaign you need support for? Let’s plan some magic.
=)
#MakeDontBreak
Do you want to learn how to make a bunch of cool shit this year? Of course you do! Learning new things and creating things is good for your brain and your spirit. We are all going to need creative resilience this year.
Join my Patreon community at any level (as low as $1/month and a discount if you pay for a year in advance) and you will get access to so much learning.
Every month we will learn a new crafty medium. Some I’ll teach. Some will be led by other talented and delightful artists.
January will be focused on book binding techniques and we will be making our very own creative journals that we will use throughout the year.
Most workshops are live but they are all recorded for folks who can’t make the Zoom. You can learn at your own pace. Plus we have a monthly Zoom hangout where you can meet your fellow makers from around the world and set aside time for art making.
Plus, you have access to all of the embroidery tutorials from the past two years. You can learn over 60 embroidery stitches. I know right?!
Don’t dally. Sign up right now.
2024 CRAFTIVISM GRANT WINNER
Meet Ladipo Famodu, a designers (and former chemist) with the dream of opening a black-owned, community-based metal studio on the south side of Chicago. Ladipo will be using the grant to lay the foundations of his larger dream. Ladipo will facilitate a series of workshops on the lost wax casting method. These workshops will provide an accessible primer on the history of symbols and imagery of Black liberation. Across three sessions, Ladipo will guide a group of participants through the process of object-based storytelling, basic jewelry design, and metal casting using the lost-wax method.
In Lapido’s own words:
Jewelry and adornments have been historically used to carry stories that are passed on through generations and disperesed across the globe. I want to change the perception of jewelry-as-luxury into adornments-as-necessary reminders of fighting for a better future.
Follow Lapido here: @astro-afro and @something_like_an_alchemist
This year I received triple the number of applications than any year past and they were AMAZING!!! I can’t say enough good things about your concepts. It was such a challenge to make this decision. Let’s be honest, this is the worst part for me because I want to fund everything and work with all of you. Alas, my bank account and calendar won’t allow for that. When I win the lottery, it’s all I’m going to do so, fingers crossed.
I’ll keep you updated on our progress together this year and let you know about the workshops in the event you want to join in!
2023 CRAFTIVISM STICKER FUNDRAISER
Remember how I had covid? Yeah. That impacted my normally sharp brain ; )
Last month, when I told you about middle-schooler Alana’s sticker fundraiser, I didn’t realize that the shipping on my web store was defaulted to $5. THANK YOU to the person who reached out to ask me about such a strange choice. It was not a choice, it was just a mistake. LOL. I have corrected said issues.
If you were hoping to buy stickers to support Alana’s fundraiser, but were deterred by a $5 shipping fee, it’s now set at an appropriate $0.50.
If you need a refresher or didn’t read last months newsletter, here you go.
When you are ready to buy stickers, you can place your order here.
Yay for young people taking the lead as change makers!!
If you are in Chicago and want a fun night out this weekend join me at 20x2 on Sunday. I will be one of 20 creative people who answer the question - Do you remember? - in 2 minutes.
ABORTION FUNDRAISER - THANK YOU
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who participated in the year-long fundraiser for abortion access. Together we raised many thousands of dollars (exact total coming soon) to support the important work that Abortion Access Front is doing.
I’ve been told they still have the full year bundle available on their website. If you donate $50+ to Abortion Front you can get all 12 patterns!
Big thanks to the craftivists who created and donated patterns for this fundraiser:
@RomiDesigns @RadicalQuilter @MindyTsonasChoi @SJSAcademy, @SubversiveCrossStitch @WoolIntentions @StephXStitch @Gather_Here @BlueBottomArt @Hasamet
That’s it for now. Much more soon!!
xo
Shannon