Soft and Sustainable Studio Work: Recycling Media, Representing Ecology, and Re-envisioning Craft With the International Fiber Collaborative

Abstract

This article examines the digital community of the International Fiber Collaborative and it's projects in terms of its roles in environmental and social activism, community art, and contemporary craft. The collaborative models of ecological art education from the International Fiber Collaborative (IFC) include recycling materials, expressing environmentalism, and redefining activism through craft. Founded by Jennifer Marsh, the IFC is an activist fiber art network. Drawing from guerrilla art and Christos’ wrappings, IFC projects wrap a gas station, tree, and rocket. Enlarging its patchwork circle, IFC’s community casts a wide net to makers across ages and geographies. Digital networks connect hand-made traditions, offering alternative spaces of education, while (re)defining conceptions of craft communities. This article will explore contemporary approaches to ecology in community art as they interweave with digital craft community.