Page 253 - Constructing Craft

Feminist Ideology

Resistance to the supremacy of a dominant group by women was not based on a

single ideology. There existed three forms of feminist opposition. Radical-feminists
argued that there were psychological and biological differences between the sexes

and therefore women’s art was substantially different from men’s art. Women’s work
attempted to elevate women’s concerns – pregnancy, motherhood and domesticity

– often through techniques and materials traditionally associated with women –

embroidery and quilting for example. Radical-feminists rejected aesthetic standards
defined by males. An example of this form of opposition was the resistance by the

New Zealand Spinning, Weaving and Woolcrafts Society and the New Zealand

Embroiderers Guilds to joining the New Zealand Chapter of the World Craft Council
in the late-1970s. The members of these organisations were predominantly women,

and although the majority of them would not have regarded themselves as radical-
feminists, they were reluctant to have their work judged by others (i.e. men). At the

individual level, Juliet Batten was a radical-feminist artist who incorporated ideas
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about ‘nurturing [and] sexuality’ in her work in fabric. Socialist-feminists, on the
other hand, studied the oppression of women across wider fields, which included

social, cultural and historical concerns about how and where art or craft work was
produced. The socialist-feminist approach questioned the very definition of art,

therefore the art/craft debate was placed at the forefront of their discussion. They
were also interested in highlighting measurable inequalities. For instance, they

knew that Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council grants clearly favoured male artists over
female and explained that situation on the conditioning of women. Socialist-feminist

believed that many women, particularly craftswomen, may have been reluctant to

apply for grants because their conditioning convinced them that their work was
inferior. Another reason was the wish to avoid the bureaucratic intrusion grant

applications would have subjected them to. Finally, liberal-feminists were largely

concerned with the lack of access and opportunities for women but were less
interested in dismantling existing ideological and political structures. They wished to

extend to women the same rights that men enjoyed. Most craftswomen could
identify with some aspects of all of these philosophies.

Constructing Craft