Which Craft Lives on the Haystack Shelves?

“Which Craft Lives on the Haystack Shelves?”

This is the question asked by Session 1 Haystack Visiting Artist Namita Gupta Wiggers (she/her) as she spent hours among the stacks in the Haystack Library. She is examining how libraries construct knowledge and reflect systems of power, and asks what the collection of books in the Haystack Library conveys about representation in craft. In this video, Wiggers details how she applies her research, and the Shelf Life Project rubric created by Related Tactics, to the Haystack Library.

“I just want to know which craft lives on the Haystack shelves? And is it a craft history that is inclusive and encompasses everything that we're trying to say craft is in our programming, and in the ways people work today,” says Wiggers in the video. “And, you know, clearly with what the ceramics shelf shows, that's not the case right now. So it gives us a chance to understand where we can work on making this a better toolbox for our participants and our makers.”

 Music used in video: Dreamy Soft Relaxing | Galaxy by Alex-Productions.