Recently, the idea of the commons has made a comeback in humanities and social sciences, as well as in contemporary forms of activism. This idea, previously associated with the back-to-the-land movements of the 1960s and 70s, with debates over resource management or with the pursuits of social and legal historians, has gathered traction as a way of both imagining ecological and political futures and finding ways to live in an increasingly privatised and austerity-blighted world. At the same time, an array of community-oriented craft initiatives that connect with the politics of the commons have emerged, including makerspaces, online networks and repair shops. Enabling peer-to-peer exchange of knowledge, tools and materials, they disrupt industrial capitalist production and resist the individualism of intellectual capital and consumer culture. 

From 2019 to 2021 the Crafting the Commons network brought together artists, makers, curators and academics to creatively interrogate intersections between craft practices and emergent academic research on the ideas, stories and politics of the commons. The network informed the development of We are Commoners: Creative Acts of Commoning, a major national touring exhibition by Craftspace that launched in March 2021. We will share insights generated through this collaborative process, drawing on the commissioned artworks to consider ways in which craft enables us to share resources, ideas and knowledge and the role of making in fostering a more collective relationship with the places where we live. 

In the exhibition, artists’ projects are represented across three themes: Claiming, Healing and Co-operating. They offer ideas and resources to inspire acts of commoning as a way to renew civic life. Skills and materials provide either a means to common – often in a shared or portable way – or are used to give insight into examples of commoning. Projects range from work influenced by historical land-based commons, such as ‘Common Ground: The Walsall Road Allotments’ project by Alice McLean and Justine Boussard and stained glass work ‘Rewilding at the Clootie Tree’ by Pinkie Maclure, to investigations of digital commons, including Alinah Azadeh’s ‘Craft in Common’ resource which explores themes of courage, care, loss, connection and repair. Twigger Holroyd’s own interactive installation, ‘A Temporary Outpost of the Blue Fashion Commons’, explores clothing as a shared community resource. International artwork includes ‘Nets Project’ by Claudia Rodríguez, Ana Joaquina Ramírez and Rosina Santana Castellón in which a 150-metre-long weave brought communities together to protest about the polluted Santiago river in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

Emma Daker is Exhibitions and Projects Development Manager of Craftspace, a charity creating opportunities to see, make and be curious about exceptional contemporary craft. We champion the power of craft to change lives and communities. Our work builds relationships between artists, people and organisations and encourages the sharing of ideas, skills and knowledge. Craftspace initiates artistic programmes which stimulate creative excellence, critical thinking and understanding of contemporary crafts in the widest social and cultural contexts. With over 30 years’ experience, we continue to learn, push boundaries and challenge ideas. Based in Birmingham, we work collaboratively regionally, nationally and internationally.  

Dr Amy Twigger Holroyd is Associate Professor of Fashion and Sustainability at Nottingham School of Art & Design, Nottingham Trent University. Her research focuses on fashion transitions: the participatory exploration of alternative, open and plural fashion systems that respect earth’s capacity to support life. Amy’s current project, Fashion Fictions, is supported by an AHRC Research Development and Engagement Fellowship. She has edited and authored several books, including Folk Fashion: Understanding Homemade Clothes (I.B. Tauris, 2017) and the forthcoming Historical Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion: Inspiration for Change with Jennifer Farley Gordon and Colleen Hill (Bloomsbury Academic, 2023).