Artist Statement
As a zero-waste artist, I engage in the transformative acts of slow stitching, visible mending, and craftivism. Recently retired from most of my teaching, I am now devoting more time to expanding my practice. Alongside textiles, I am exploring other freecycled and repurposed materials—metal, wood, jewellery, found objects, and elements from nature—continuing my commitment to sustainability while broadening my artistic vocabulary.
In a world marked by fast fashion and disposable culture, I embrace a different approach. Each piece I create is a testament to the beauty of repair and the value of resourcefulness. By reimagining discarded materials and breathing new life into forgotten objects, I seek to demonstrate that sustainability and creativity can work hand in hand.
My practice is rooted in mindfulness, environmental care, and the belief that art can inspire change. I see craft not only as a medium for beauty but also as a form of activism—a way to advocate for social justice and ecological responsibility. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, I often infuse my work with a laid-back bohemian sensibility, evoking connection, resilience, and adaptation.
Through my artwork, I invite viewers to slow down, to reflect, and to embrace imperfection as a source of meaning and beauty. In celebrating the unique character of reclaimed materials, I hope to spark conversations about consumption, repair, and the power of making. My goal as an artist is to challenge norms, foster dialogue, and contribute to a more sustainable and compassionate future.
In a world marked by fast fashion and disposable culture, I embrace a different approach. Each piece I create is a testament to the beauty of repair and the value of resourcefulness. By reimagining discarded materials and breathing new life into forgotten objects, I seek to demonstrate that sustainability and creativity can work hand in hand.
My practice is rooted in mindfulness, environmental care, and the belief that art can inspire change. I see craft not only as a medium for beauty but also as a form of activism—a way to advocate for social justice and ecological responsibility. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, I often infuse my work with a laid-back bohemian sensibility, evoking connection, resilience, and adaptation.
Through my artwork, I invite viewers to slow down, to reflect, and to embrace imperfection as a source of meaning and beauty. In celebrating the unique character of reclaimed materials, I hope to spark conversations about consumption, repair, and the power of making. My goal as an artist is to challenge norms, foster dialogue, and contribute to a more sustainable and compassionate future.
2025
The Beauty of Bees Art Exhibit: The Mississauga Arts Council (MAC) in partnership with the Streetsville Bread and Honey Festival is hosting the Beauty of Bees Exhibit annually at the Pollinator Garden beside the Streetsville BIA!
2nd PRIZE WINNER: Sandra Clarke
2nd PRIZE WINNER: Sandra Clarke
Sandra donated her winning piece to the Streetsville Bread and Honey Festival Fundraising Event 2025
2024
Mississauga Arts Council Grant 2024 Craftivism and Visible Mending Masterclass on YouTube
Build Your Creative Business on YouTube
Visual Arts Mississauga April 2024
World Art Day Exhibit • MEND MORE by Sandra Clarke
2023
E-book PDF below, click SCRIBD
Summer 2022 Rails End Gallery and Arts Centre
Fabric • naturally dyed with rusted items
Fabric • naturally dyed with kitchen scraps
2021
Visible Mending Workshop • Pointe Claire Library
The Border Crossings Conference November 16, 2021
2021 Art Gallery of Mississauga Juried Show
Sandra Clarke • Winner of the Curator's Award.
2021 Ontario Science Centre Satellite Coral Reef Project
2021 August Craftivism Events at Rails End Gallery & Art Centre in Haliburton, Ontario
Make your own tiny Craftivist banner or a fast fashion rebel clothing patch: noon to 3 pm Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021
CRAFTIVISM MANIFESTO
A craftivist is anyone who uses their craft to help the greater good. Your craft is your voice. Craftivism is about raising consciousness, creating a better world stitch by stitch, and things made by hand, by a person. It's also about sharing ideas with others in a way that is welcoming, not dividing, and celebrating traditional skills in new ways. As well as remembering and respecting the makers that came before us, adding to the dialogue and leaving something for the next generations of craftivists. Craftivism is about creating wider conversations about uncomfortable social issues. A craftivist is anyone who uses their craft to help the greater good or in resistance to a greater societal ill. A single individual crafting can make a difference. Or they can craft together and benefit from the fellowship of other crafters. Craftivists open minds and hearts. It's about connecting through and with craft and creating a more compassionate community. Craftivists are makers, hackers, menders and modifiers of material things. My craftivism can be different from your craftivism and that's okay. Craftivism encourages people to challenge injustice and find creative solutions to conflict. Craftivism does not expect you to come with skills but with willingness. Craft is often seen as a benign, passive and (predominantly female) domestic pastime. By taking these stereotypes and subverting them, craftivists are making craft a useful tool of peaceful, proactive and political protest. Craftivism is a way to make big issues tangible, so that we can build a better world together. Craftivism is about reclaiming the slow process of creating by hand, with thought, with purpose and with love. Because activism, whether through craft or any other means, is done by individuals, not machines. Craftivism is a tool to instantly create a small part of the warmer, friendlier and more colorful world we hope to see in the future.
This manifesto was written by Mary Callahan Baumstark, Ele Carpenter, Joanna Davies, Tamara Goo derham, Betsy Greer, Bridget Harvey, Rebecca Marsh, Manna Marvel, Ari Miller, Iris Nectar, Abi Niel sen, Elin Poppelin and Cat Varvis.
A craftivist is anyone who uses their craft to help the greater good. Your craft is your voice. Craftivism is about raising consciousness, creating a better world stitch by stitch, and things made by hand, by a person. It's also about sharing ideas with others in a way that is welcoming, not dividing, and celebrating traditional skills in new ways. As well as remembering and respecting the makers that came before us, adding to the dialogue and leaving something for the next generations of craftivists. Craftivism is about creating wider conversations about uncomfortable social issues. A craftivist is anyone who uses their craft to help the greater good or in resistance to a greater societal ill. A single individual crafting can make a difference. Or they can craft together and benefit from the fellowship of other crafters. Craftivists open minds and hearts. It's about connecting through and with craft and creating a more compassionate community. Craftivists are makers, hackers, menders and modifiers of material things. My craftivism can be different from your craftivism and that's okay. Craftivism encourages people to challenge injustice and find creative solutions to conflict. Craftivism does not expect you to come with skills but with willingness. Craft is often seen as a benign, passive and (predominantly female) domestic pastime. By taking these stereotypes and subverting them, craftivists are making craft a useful tool of peaceful, proactive and political protest. Craftivism is a way to make big issues tangible, so that we can build a better world together. Craftivism is about reclaiming the slow process of creating by hand, with thought, with purpose and with love. Because activism, whether through craft or any other means, is done by individuals, not machines. Craftivism is a tool to instantly create a small part of the warmer, friendlier and more colorful world we hope to see in the future.
This manifesto was written by Mary Callahan Baumstark, Ele Carpenter, Joanna Davies, Tamara Goo derham, Betsy Greer, Bridget Harvey, Rebecca Marsh, Manna Marvel, Ari Miller, Iris Nectar, Abi Niel sen, Elin Poppelin and Cat Varvis.
Craftivism Project
#FastFashionRebellion
#FastFashionRebel
#SlowFashionMovement
#CraftivismCanada
#VisibleMending
Fast fashion refers to low-priced clothing made overseas using substandard materials intended to make consumers buy frequently. Essentially, disposable clothing.
It's hard to resist that $5 t-shirt -- especially while living on a budget.
The problem is that the billion dollar fashion industry misleads us about the true cost of that $5 t-shirt.
The negative impact on our ecosystem has already caught up to us by polluting water, air, and soil. Synthetic materials are by-products of petroleum and are non-biodegradable. Synthetic products take a long time to decompose, creating long-term pollution + accumulate in landfills. Natural fibers, like cotton, are grown using pesticides harming pollinating insects. Fast fashion displaces animals by over-using + polluting their water + food sources.
Overseas manufacturers employ mostly women who pay the price by working in poor working conditions at subpar wages.
The fast fashion industry literally killed people in 2013 with the collapse of the Dhaka Garment Factory. 1,134 people lost their lives.
What can you do?
#FastFashionRebellion
#FastFashionRebel
#SlowFashionMovement
#CraftivismCanada
#VisibleMending
Fast fashion refers to low-priced clothing made overseas using substandard materials intended to make consumers buy frequently. Essentially, disposable clothing.
It's hard to resist that $5 t-shirt -- especially while living on a budget.
The problem is that the billion dollar fashion industry misleads us about the true cost of that $5 t-shirt.
The negative impact on our ecosystem has already caught up to us by polluting water, air, and soil. Synthetic materials are by-products of petroleum and are non-biodegradable. Synthetic products take a long time to decompose, creating long-term pollution + accumulate in landfills. Natural fibers, like cotton, are grown using pesticides harming pollinating insects. Fast fashion displaces animals by over-using + polluting their water + food sources.
Overseas manufacturers employ mostly women who pay the price by working in poor working conditions at subpar wages.
The fast fashion industry literally killed people in 2013 with the collapse of the Dhaka Garment Factory. 1,134 people lost their lives.
What can you do?
- Avoid buying fast fashion clothing as much as possible. Consider buying secondhand clothes. Often the quality is better than fast fashion garments + you get value for the money.
- Support local clothing designers + makers by purchasing and / or sharing their websites with friends + family.
- Take proper care of your garments so that they last longer.
- Repair garments -- create a trend by repairing your clothing with interesting embroidery stitches + patches. #VisibleMending
- Instead of tossing unwanted clothes in the bin, consider selling or donating them. Recycling programs can be misleading and should be the last resort. Repair, Reuse, Repurpose before Recycle.
- USE YOUR VOICE + spread the word about fast fashion.
Click here to read the Saturday, April 3rd, 2021 article about #Craftivism
Craftivist Printables 2021
bio
Sandra Clarke, has been untangling skeins of yarn + making useful shiny things for over 30 years. Born in the colourful, celtic, Montreal neighbourhood of Griffintown, + educated in Montreal, New York, Winnipeg, Vancouver + Toronto, helped Sandra develop her eclectic style. Her textile + fibre arts + courses include; embroidery, weaving, spinning, sewing, felting + knitting. On the shiny arts side, she creates + teaches; fused glass, beaded trees of life, jewelry + button making. Her art can be seen regularly in boutiques, galleries, + online. Sandra's ecology themed colouring books can be found on Amazon + in her courses. Nature themes are also explored in Sandra's illustrations, both graphic + by hand. She teaches art + art business courses online, in galleries + schools. Sandra gives traditional arts a contemporary life while still retaining practicality + function. Fueled by the fast-fashion rebellion, visible mending + craftivism, Sandra's no-waste philosophy results in ethically made + thoughtfully re-fashioned textile art. Sandra lives with her husband + children dividing her time between her home in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada + her off-grid cabin-in-the-woods near Algonquin Park in Highlands East, Ontario.
Sandra Clarke, has been untangling skeins of yarn + making useful shiny things for over 30 years. Born in the colourful, celtic, Montreal neighbourhood of Griffintown, + educated in Montreal, New York, Winnipeg, Vancouver + Toronto, helped Sandra develop her eclectic style. Her textile + fibre arts + courses include; embroidery, weaving, spinning, sewing, felting + knitting. On the shiny arts side, she creates + teaches; fused glass, beaded trees of life, jewelry + button making. Her art can be seen regularly in boutiques, galleries, + online. Sandra's ecology themed colouring books can be found on Amazon + in her courses. Nature themes are also explored in Sandra's illustrations, both graphic + by hand. She teaches art + art business courses online, in galleries + schools. Sandra gives traditional arts a contemporary life while still retaining practicality + function. Fueled by the fast-fashion rebellion, visible mending + craftivism, Sandra's no-waste philosophy results in ethically made + thoughtfully re-fashioned textile art. Sandra lives with her husband + children dividing her time between her home in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada + her off-grid cabin-in-the-woods near Algonquin Park in Highlands East, Ontario.
2021 Projects
