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Fiber Arts Communities and Generative Justice

Sarah KuhnUMass Lowell

Sarah_Kuhn@UML.edu

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“…what won it for Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes is that, very simply, the title is completely bonkers. On the one hand you have the typically feminine, gentle and wooly world of needlework and on the other, the exciting but incredibly un-wooly world of hyperbolic geometry and negative curvature. In Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes the two worlds collide—in a captivating and quite breathtaking way.”

(2009 Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year)

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How Many?

• Knit and crochet interactive/social media web site “Ravelry” has more than 4.2 registered users worldwide

• 31.5 M needle arts participants in US in 2012 (adult knitters, crocheters, weavers, needlepointers, quilters, and sewers)

• Annual spending by the most dedicated (“enthusiasts”) is about $900 per person ($750-900 M total)

• Enthusiasts tend to shop at 3,000 independent retailers (Local Yarn Stores-LYS) rather than big box stores

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Social Class

• Knitting and crochet cut across class lines• Crocheters reported to be more price-

sensitive when buying yarn and their spending dipped during the recession (National NeedleArts Association 2013)

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Math Anxiety

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Hypotheses

• Knitting, crochet, and other hand work decrease anxiety

• AND increase attention under some circumstances

• Fiber arts and other hand activities help students survive boring lectures

• Fiber arts can constructively unsettle gender

• Fiber arts promote community

• Fiber arts can be central to STEM-to-STEAM

• Fiber arts can be a vehicle for GENERATIVE JUSTICE

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Gender and Engineering

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Conchita Wurst’s Knitting for Tolerance

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Culture, Capitalism & Fast Fashion

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Thanks. Let’s Talk!

Sarah KuhnSarah_Kuhn@UML.edu

http://thinkingwiththings.com/

6/28/14