Craftivism as inquiry: holding life's threads
Published Date: 1.11.2024
Theme: Carer health and wellbeing
Sub-theme: Wellbeing programs
Verification Statement
This publication / resource is hosted on a publicly available external link. If the full text is not publicly accessible, summary points are included and a contact method for the author(s) is provided, where available.
The summary information presented is based on content submitted by an author or other user, along with publicly available information about the publication / resource added by the Carer Knowledge Exchange team.
All content is reviewed, edited and approved by the Carer Knowledge Exchange team, in line with our Submission Guidelines.
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Theme: Carer health and wellbeing
Sub-theme: Wellbeing programs
Verification Statement
This publication / resource is hosted on a publicly available external link. If the full text is not publicly accessible, summary points are included and a contact method for the author(s) is provided, where available.
The summary information presented is based on content submitted by an author or other user, along with publicly available information about the publication / resource added by the Carer Knowledge Exchange team.
All content is reviewed, edited and approved by the Carer Knowledge Exchange team, in line with our Submission Guidelines.
To report an issue or request a change, please complete our Feedback Form.
Craftivism as inquiry: holding life's threads
Published Date: 1.11.2024
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Author/ Authors
Chloe Watfern,
Gaynor Macdonald,
Michele Elliot,
Lynne Stone,
Imelda Gilmore,
Manuel Tecson,
Najla Turk,
Penny Bingham,
Jane Mears,
Ann Dadich,
Barbara Doran,
Katherine Boydell,
Sarah Wallace
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Suggested citation (APA 7th edition)
Watfern, C., Macdonald, G., Elliot, M., Stone, L., Gilmore, I., Tecson, M., Turk, N., Bingham, P., Mears, J., Dadich, A., Doran, B., Boydell, K., & Wallace, S. (2024). Craftivism as Inquiry: Holding Life’s Threads. The Qualitative Report, 29(1), 183-205. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2024.6007
Long Summary
This article shares insights regarding an arts-based research project where carers of people with dementia conveyed their experiences in cloth. During a series of five workshops in 2021, a small group of carers, researchers, and artists gathered online to develop an exhibition of craftivist textile works, building community and highlighting the importance of the relationships involved in caring. This research contributes to a growing literature surrounding arts-based methods in qualitative research, advocacy, and community life. Overall, the project sought the understand and amplify the core messages, experiences, and wisdom that carer participants wanted others to know about the dementia journey.
Author's / Publisher's Contact Details:
c.watfern@blackdog.org.au
Key Messages for Carers
- The process of making can be a form of nourishment. Research highlights the reparative powers of crafting
- that repetitive, mindful processes like knitting, weaving, stitching, and lacemaking seem to improve wellbeing and help people reach a sense of 'flow'.
- Carer participants noted the complexity of the caring experience
- and how sometimes they found it difficult to express this or make visible.
- Participants expressed their experiences through craftmaking, revisiting parts of their lives with their care partners.
Key Messages for Policy Makers
- Each carer craftivist expressed the difficulties they have faced in their experiences of dementia care, from stigma and discrimination to limited support or insight from health professionals, the care sector, and society-at-large.
- Craftwork as a method of coproducing knowledge has shown great potential, with arts-absed methods inspiring affective responses, reducing stigma, and impacting overall mental health and wellbeing. They are effective at targeting wider audiences (due to public accessibility), and do not require specific expertise.
- As such, individuals with lived experiences of different ages, genders, backgrounds, and cultures find resonance with these art forms.
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