Let’s Move the Needle: An Activism Handbook for Artists, Crafters, Creatives, and Makers; Build Community and Make Change!

Create change in the world with this inspiring guide to social activism, from the artist and craftivist behind Badass Cross Stitch.

Craftivism, or the space where art and activism meet, is a powerful, ever-evolving social justice movement that continues to grow and diversify as more voices and mediums take part in it. In Let’s Move the Needle, Shannon Downey, an outspoken voice in the craftivist movement for over a decade, provides a roadmap and accessible toolkit for burgeoning art activists.

Filled with self-reflective activities, exercises, prompts, and stories, Let’s Move the Needle educates and empowers creatives to center their art around collective action in service of political, social or community issues they are most passionate about; affirming that everyone can be a changemaker and that change-making can be generative, enjoyable, and a bit sassy!

Shannon Downey is the founder of Seriously Badass Women and Badass Cross Stitch, and is an artist, activist, craftivist, community builder, and general instigator. She leverages craft-based art forms to bring people together and her artwork can be found in galleries, museums, and private collections around the world. She has been featured in outlets including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Atlas Obscura, Fast Company, and i-D, and her work has been featured in books including Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Signs of Resistance: A Visual History of Protest in America. She was recently selected as the artist in residence at the Chicago Botanic Garden. She currently lives and works in Chicago, Illinois.