Have you ever raised an issue, only to be told “don’t make a fuss?” The phrase would be innocuous enough if it didn’t have a history of being used to casually silence people when speaking out. The Queen Victoria Women’s Centre is turning the phrase on its head, however, with a new craftivism project.
The Make A Fuss project is calling on women and non-binary folks across Victoria to create and submit artwork about a time they were told “don’t make a fuss”. Spearheaded by QVWC’s first-ever feminist in residence, Kate Robinson, Make A Fuss aims to give women and non-binary Victorians the opportunity to create and exhibit works that answer the question: “what do you no longer want to be silent about?”
For Robinson, the focus on breaking the silence was clear. As a community lawyer working primarily in family violence, she says there are many times she would have to pick her battles. “There are so many times as a woman, and as a biracial woman operating in an intensely white male, patriarchal environment like the court system, I have to choose when I’m going to bite my tongue, and I have to choose when to speak up and be seen to be making a fuss,” says Robinson.
Robinson is quick to point out that you don’t have to create masterpieces to get involved in Make A Fuss. She herself has no formal training in art but has loved creating since childhood and began crafting again in her late 20s as a way to deal with the frustrations she experiences working in the justice system. “I actually know many women that work in the community sector who are incredibly creative,” says Robinson. “[Craft] really is this freeing space in which we can express our voices and the emotions that we have.”
Just exactly what you create for Make A Fuss is up to you and Robinson stresses the emphasis is on making something that reflects your experience in being silent, not your artistic ability. “You can draw, you can write a poem, you can create a collage, you can take a photograph, you can record something, you can sew something, cross-stitch something, you can make a protest sign,” says Robinson. “I’m really open to receiving things in all mediums.”
“The power is not in it being the ‘Mona Lisa’, but rather in you expressing your voice.”
Make A Fuss will culminate in an IRL exhibition (once possible) as well as an online exhibition. Growing up on a sheep farm, it was important to Robinson to make the exhibition accessible to those living outside inner Melbourne, so she’s also looking into sourcing a caravan (“I’m calling it the craftivist caravan”) to take the exhibition on the road. “So that the exhibition can pop up in Sunshine or Werribee or wherever for a day,” she says.
Whatever you decide to make, Make A Fuss submissions can be posted to the QVWC or photographed and submitted digitally. If you want to physically submit your work but are a bit strapped for cash (postage can be exxy), you can also contact Robinson to see about arranging a drop off. “I want to get as many voices involved as possible,” she says.
As the QVWC’s “lockdown 2.0” project, Make A Fuss is accepting submissions until the end of Melbourne’s six-week shutdown period (so August 19). However, the submission period may be extended depending on if the shutdown is. To find out more and to get involved, head over to the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre website.