By Amy Borkwood
*Note: photo credits appear as a mouse over*
Toronto Craft Alert is a volunteer-run blog which acts as an essential resource for all Toronto-based crafters. It spreads information about upcoming craft shows, gives details on where to find supplies or attend a workshop, and allows for discussion amongst the city’s craft-folk. The TCA was started in February 2006 by Jen Anisef, a Toronto-based craft-maker and enthusiast, with its goal being “to galvanize the city’s craft community”. Jen also recently opened up an online, Canadian-focused craft and design shop, goodEGG industries. The site is a collaborative effort between Jen and Laural Raine. I interviewed Jen to find out more about the TCA, and also to look for more ways in which new crafters can become involved in the diverse community of craft in Toronto.
MONDO: First off, can you tell me a little about why you started Toronto Craft Alert, and what you wanted it to be at the very beginning?
Jen Anisef: I started the Toronto Craft Alert on a whim. After having been asked a few times where I find out about craft fairs and finding that I had no good answer to this question, I emailed the few crafty types I knew in Toronto about starting an email list to share information about craft fairs and any other craft-related stuff happening around town. I asked them to spread the word to craft-engaged friends so we could get a bit of a network going. I threw up a blog just for fun, thinking of it as a secondary info-sharing space where we could post pretty pictures (plus I had always secretly wanted a blog, and this was a great excuse). So I guess my initial intention was to bridge a gap in information flow amongst Toronto crafters. I feel like this is still really central to what the TCA is about, but it has evolved so much beyond this point!
MONDO: What kind of feedback/response did you initially receive about the blog? Who was reading it, and who was taking part in the discussions?
JA: People were really enthusiastic about it — they felt it was something that Toronto was missing and were very supportive about the project. A number of people felt that the craft community was too segmented and could use a place to come together and were excited about the TCA in this sense.
My first email introducing the TCA went out to a handful of Toronto-based craft bloggers who were kind enough to post about the TCA on their own blogs, and for the first while they were the main people commenting and sending in tips. Some store owners were also quick to take advantage of the opportunity to promote their workshops and events. Word spread fast though, and individual crafters and craft artists came on board shortly thereafter.
MONDO: You attended the first Craft Congress last year in Pittsburgh. Can you tell me how you ended up attending the Congress, and what exactly happened there? Did you apply anything you learned from the Congress to your work with the TCA?
JA: To be honest, I’m not totally sure how I got hooked up to the Congress. I received a mysterious invite to their Yahoo group perhaps from a fellow Torontonian or the organizers may have found me through their extensive Google searching for craft-related initiatives. There were a handful of craft-engaged people from Toronto involved in the Yahoo group, and Leah (Reverend Mother of the Toronto Church of Craft), Becky (proprietress of the Sweetie Pie Press and founder of the Good Catch Craft Fair series in Parkdale), and I ended up organizing a road trip to the Congress.
To recount what went down at the Congress would take a book. But in brief, it brought together 50 craft “leaders” (mostly “indie” craft-fair organizers) from across North America and the UK to discuss best practices for craft-related organizing, as well as more general topics such as the evolution of the independent craft “movement” or crafts and political activism…
I would say there were two major things that I took away from the Congress that feeds into my current activities in craft:
1. An awareness of the diversity of craft cultures across geographies. Meeting people from Florida (where craft fairs happen in strip malls and crafters constantly have to explain why their items are more expensive than Walmart), and Austin (where the indie craft scene has been booming for years and years) opened my eyes to the fact that Toronto’s craftscape is unique. I hope to explore this more through the TCA and other craft ventures.
2. An alliance with Leah and Becky (previously just acquaintances) spawned City of Craft, a craft collective that aims to build community amongst crafters in Toronto, support independent craft businesses, and encourage the larger community to get involved with crafty happenings in the city. TCA is a partner in putting on all kinds of events through City of Craft, including a mega craft fair and craft-culture event in December.
MONDO: When I moved to Toronto I used the TCA as a reference guide to find resources, and upcoming sales, and to learn about local craftspeople. Are there any other resources that you’d suggest to individuals, either new to the city or new to the world of craft, who want to become involved in the craft community in Toronto?
JA: When I first started the TCA I relied heavily on arts mailing lists like Instant Coffee and Akimbo to find out about craft-related events and exhibitions. Though their focus is more art-art, there are definitely craft-related listings to be found. Toronto Street Fashion covers a lot of crafty territory, like designer profiles, indie craft shop reviews and some craft fair listings. It takes some scouring, but you can find lots of craft-con in NOW magazine, especially in the style section by Andrew Sardone. Likewise columnist Natalie-Roze Fischer is a fantastic supporter of local craft initiatives. Look for her as the Frugal Fashionista in Metro or the DIY Style columnist in the Toronto Star.
***
If you are interested in a particular craft, find out if a related shop (e.g. knitting store, fabric/quilting shop) hosts a stitch ‘n bitch so that you can meet and learn from others in your community of interest. Taking classes at these shops or schools is another way to meet people or ease your way into the world of crafting. There are a bunch listed on the TCA under “Get Schooled”.
