Grants:Project/Rapid/terasaface/Art+Feminism/Craftswomen

statusFunded

Art+Feminism/Craftswomen

We are hosting a series of trainings and edit-a-thons focused around engaging craftspeople and scholars of craft with Wikipedia. Using the training materials provided by the Wikimedia Foundation and Art + Feminism, @terasaface is creating a hand-drawn zine to illustrate the why and how of editing. This zine will be photocopied and distributed at the events as well as digitally.

targetArt+Feminism , WomeninRed

start dateFebruary 14

end dateDecember 1

budget (local currency)$2000

budget (USD)$2000

grant typeIndividual

grantee• terasaface

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Create your report

Please see the sample Editathon/Training application before drafting your application.

Project Goal

Choose one or more of the following goals. You can add or delete goals as needed.

Recruit new editors with knowledge of the artistic discipline Studio Craft, particularly women, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals.
Increase skills for existing editors through informational and training material formatted in a zine structure
Add and improve the Wikipedia content surrounding the fields of art and craft focusing on biographies of craftspeople using the materials wood, metal, fibers, clay, and glass
Hold a series of editorial training workshops with different craft organizations including the Minnesota Weavers Guild, the American Association of Woodturners, the American Craft Council, and the Furniture Society
Host three edit-a-thons in 2020 in collaboration with aforementioned craft organizations

Project Plan

Activities

Tell us how you'll carry out your project. Be sure to answer the following questions:

1. Tell us how you’ll carry out your project. What will you and other organizers spend your time doing?

We are hosting a series of trainings and edit-a-thons focused around engaging craftspeople and scholars of craft with Wikipedia. Using the training materials provided by the Wikimedia Foundation and Art + Feminism, user:terasaface is creating a hand-drawn zine to illustrate the why and how of editing. This zine will be photocopied and distributed at the events as well as digitally in order to visually engage participants and encourage participation after the events are over.

5 editorial training events at Minnesota-based craft organizations and one as part of the Furniture Society conference in Junie in Asheville, NC. These events will be led by terasaface and will consist of a PowerPoint slide lecture, a group activity in communally writing and editing a Wiki page, and take-home materials including a hand-drawn informational zine.

3 edit-a-thons -, one in June at the Furniture Society Conference in Asheville, NC, one with the Weavers Guild in Minneapolis, MN, and one in March with the American Craft Council in Minneapolis, MN. Each edit-a-thon is co-organized between terasaface and the librarians at each craft organization, along with volunteers with experience assisting in edit-a-thons.

2. How will you let your community know about the event?

The events will be advertised through targeted emails to each craft center’s mailing list, local universities, and individuals who have previously attended Wikipedia events. Postcards and flyers will be printed and distributed to local businesses with interests in digital literacy and radical feminist inclusion such as independent bookstores, art galleries, and queer-owned businesses. Advertising will also be promoted through social media, local newspapers, and word-of-mouth.

3. Why are you targeting a specific audience?

The field of Craft is significantly underrepresented on Wikipedia. There is significant coverage on artists in this field within academic publications and periodicals, resulting in the work and writing of these artists to stay within the realm of academia and limiting access to this knowledge to those privileged with access to craft libraries and galleries. Those of us who do have access (members of craft guilds and organizations) can share this knowledge widely through Wikipedia as an act of radical inclusivity. This can drastically change the representation of this field and effectively widen our communities.

This project is specifically targeting biographies of craftspeople related to the fields of woodworking, furniture making, seat weaving, basket weaving, felting, fiber arts, glass blowing, pottery, sculpture, metalworking, jewelry making, and other craft disciplines. Art + Feminism focuses on artists, and this project takes that same mission and narrows the focus to those working in the craft disciplines.

3. Do you have experienced Wikimedia editors to lead the event?

Yes, I - terasaface – will be leading all events. I am an experienced Wikipedia editor and have hosted two edit-a-thons in the past. Each edit-a-thon has at least two other trained editors as co-organizers who have previously assisted events in the past. I will recruit Asheville-based volunteers and editors for assistance in that event. Find statistics on the last edit-a-thon hosted at the American Craft Council's library in 2019 here.

4. Do participants have the equipment or skills needed to participate and contribute high quality content? If not, how will you support them?

The goal of the editorial trainings is to provide participants with all the knowledge they need to contribute high-quality and the guidance to become confident editors. I will be creating an informational zine that demystifies the editing process and explains the five pillars of Wikipedia, examples of conflict of interest editing, writing in a neutral point of view, and the mission of this project. I already have this information in the form of a PowerPoint slide and an information packet, but I am recreating into a hand-drawn zine format in order to visually attract participants and to increase the chances of participants referring to the training materials after the event.

I, terasaface am working on a list of redlinks of craftswomen that will be focused on during these events. During the edit-a-thons, participants will have access to resource material gathered by myself and volunteers as well as through the support of the libraries at each collaborating craft center. The libraries will provide two laptops for those who do not have a computer as well as a projector.

5. How will you engage participants after the event(s)?

We will conduct a survey to invite feedback to improve future events. We will also maintain a social network through email and Facebook in order to stay connected and further support participants who continue to edit. We have a very casual Wikipedia group that meets monthly at different libraries which I plan to expand to include more participants from these events.

6. Is there anything else you want to tell us about this project?

Part of the funding is allocated to gift cards from local craft suppliers such as Woodcraft of Minneapolis and the Textile Center in St. Paul. These gift cards will be given as prizes to outstanding participants during the edit-a-thon events.

Impact

How will you know if the project is successful and you've met your goals? Please include the following targets:

Number of events - 8 (5 trainings, 3 edit-a-thons)
Number of participants - 120 - 180
Number of new editors - 80 - 100
Number of of articles created or improved - 100 - 150
Number of repeat participants (for projects that include a series of events) - 50 - 80

Resources

What resources do you have? Include information on who is organizing the project, what they will do, and if you will receive support from anywhere else (in-kind donations or additional funding).

4-5 experienced editors to assist in the running of events and research and collection of resource material. user:terasaface has hosted two edit-a-thons before and is an experienced Wikipedia editor, zine maker, and educator. We are connected locally to several craft guilds whose members attended a previous edit-a-thon hosted by terasaface and are excited to collaborate in this year’s events.

What resources do you need? For your funding request, list bullet points for each expense and include a total amount.

$300 – Consumable supplies for creating zines (photocopies, pens, paper, staples, etc.)
$300 - Printing costs related to the events (8 educational posters to leave at hosting orgs - $25.00/ea., 300 promotional postcards to advertise events - $50, instructional cheat sheets to accompany zine - $50)
$550 – Food and beverages for each of the 8 events ($50 x 5 trainings and $100 x 3 edit-a-thons)
$400 – Gift cards from craft supply stores for prizes for exceptional volunteers and participants (woodcraft, textile center)
$200 – Transportation costs for local volunteers
$100 – Ads placed in local newspapers promoting the training and editing events
$150 – Unforeseen expenses

Total costs- $2,000

Endorsements

Community members are encouraged to endorse your project request here!

Tib Shaw, Curator, American Association of Woodturners
Theplantus (talk) 18:02, 21 January 2020 (UTC) Aisling Quigley, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Digital Liberal Arts, Macalester College

Support Endorsed on behalf of Art+Feminism. --Kiraface (talk) 02:42, 16 January 2020 (UTC)
Support Excited to see that part of this series of events will include an editathon in Asheville! I look forward to joining & would be pleased to help out. Cpfffr (talk) 16:00, 16 January 2020 (UTC)
I fully support this event and agree that craft is underrepresented on Wikipedia! Amandameeks (talk) 23:18, 22 January 2020 (UTC)
Support User:terasaface is an engaging trainer! Mgblck (talk) 16:02, 27 January 2020 (UTC)
Support Endorse. For many reasons including sustainable economy and love of critters. I could web-research for books if you would need. --Omotecho (talk) 16:25, 24 February 2020 (UTC)

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