Process-Generated Networks: Craft and Sociality in Feminist Art

A collaborative vision of making has long animated feminist art. From the photo-collage albums of the 1860s to the Riot Grrrl zines of the 1990s, the work of art repeatedly emerges as a means of building connection and community around both practices of making and the political needs of makers. As a result, much of this art is inherently sociable. This sociability may manifest in works that are made with the explicit purpose of being shared with friends and allies, or works in which the process of production is made intelligible, inviting participation. Often, the success of these practices hinged on their accessibility and malleability, allowing for both proliferation and improvisation.

This panel seeks papers that explore artistic practices that harness the essential role of community building in the act of making, whether to transform material and conceptual approaches to making art or to create independent platforms that challenge the status quo. We are interested in a long historical horizon of feminist and queer practices, and welcome papers that engage subjects from the 19th century to the present. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, creative expression through domestic crafts, illustrated and photo-collage albums, vernacular photography, art-making workshops aimed at building activist solidarity, and home-grown zines and experimental video. Above all, we welcome papers that attend to the bonds built through creative practices that are accessible, welcoming, and collectively-authored, while also attending to the dynamics of gender, race, and class that inform such practices.