A work in progress--Badges in the Craft Revolution

Just getting started; top left to bottom right: 1. Gandhi, 2. John Ruskin, 3. The European Guilds, 4. William Morris

I have been planning this project for some time now, but I've finally made some genuine progress in the new studio setup.

I was a history major (useful!), and the major historical moments in craft and politics remain a pretty key interest of mine. I will gladly read anything that talks about Gandhi and the homespun movement in India, William Morris and John Ruskin's Arts and Crafts Movement in England, etc... My senior thesis, after all, was about Southern Appalachia and the Settlement/Folk School movement in the early-mid 1900s. Good stuff.

This series will be a set of pseudo-military badges honoring some of my personal heroes in craft history, particularly when they set their sights at influencing the societies in which they lived.  There's a lot to talk about, theoretically (but sadly I wasn't a Studio Art Major, so may be somewhat ill-equipped). Right now, though, I'm working on hand-spinning and hand-weaving a small patch to add to Gandhi's badge. It's a deeply satisfying project.

Image source

Incidentally, and speaking of Craft History (which I would have majored in, in a heartbeat), have you read Makers: A History of American Studio Craft? Do it, please. It's a great read, and a beautiful book. It was produced by the people at Center for Craft, Creativity and Design, in Asheville, NC--now on the campus of University of North Carolina, Asheville (from whence that B.A. in History comes; thanks, guys).