Women Weavers Recognizing Their Craftwork

Abstract

This article analyses experiences of crafstmanship within a group of women weavers. It looks at the process of mastering the art of textile-making amidst the tensions of a creative act, living on the margins and striving for recognition. The research methodology aims at closing the gap between researchers and the researched. The theoretical-methodological arguments are based on participatory research combined with the feminist perspective of giving visibility to the women´s history, which involves an act of research done as (self-)formation. Participant observation, discussion groups and talking circles allowed the collection of material for the analysis of the experiences. We came to the conclusion that the researchers and the women weavers (the researched) produce an aesthetics at a point of interface between their art studio and education environments, whereby women artisans were inspired to see their work from another perspective and recognise their craftwork, and they were challenged, along with the students as well as the professor, to think about teaching and learning in youth and adult education through handcrafted work. In this process, we come to elaborate a feminist hermeneutics.