Print edition: 
TOPEKA — The first rule of the Craftivists is simple: It has to be fun.
The group started two years ago, when it spun off from a craft night the four friends had together. They became the Craftivists after they made handmade cards and poems that were sent to then-Gov. Mark Parkinson. The name comes from their desire to mix craft and activism.
The notes were a thank-you for restoring funding to Planned Parenthood and a criticism for his work with Sunflower Electric Power Corp. on a power plant expansion in Holcomb.
“We thought maybe they would get looked at it because they were handmade,” Michelle McCormick said. “So that was funny and fun, and we started making more, and people started responding to what we were doing.”
The four women – McCormick, Nikki MacMillan, Sara O’Keeffe and Laura Burton – met when they all worked as victim advocates for the YWCA’s Battered Women Task Force, which is now named the YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment. McCormick has moved on to another job, and the others still work at the YWCA.
The group uses repurposed or recycled goods to make jewelry, buttons, pendants and their signature item, the Craftivist Window. The windows developed when they were asked to do something for a group of seemingly useless windows that had been taken out of the YWCA.
They began selling their work in order to be able to buy more supplies. They continue to donate to charities. Their wares can be found at the Elective in the North Topeka Art District.
In two years, they have gone from having craft nights to being the featured artist at the 2011 Aaron Douglas Art Fair, when they were named the people’s choice for their booth.
Charities that have benefited from their donations include the YWCA, the Great Mural Wall of Topeka, the Topeka Rescue Mission and the Topeka Bicycle Project.
The group also makes and sells buttons that are pro-Kansas and pro-Topeka.
“I’m a big fan of buttons,” Burton said. “I think people should wear their hearts on their clothing.”
A lot of the group’s artwork features birds flying away. Although the women can be light-hearted, the images have a serious meaning.
“All of our backgrounds are working with domestic violence, and there’s that symbol that you are able to travel and not trapped,” Burton said. “When you think about women, which is often the subject of our art, that is a big focus for us: freedom of movement and freedom of choice.”
