For many generations, makers have used the familiarity of the domestic arts to build community, raise awareness, and make powerful statements about causes they care about. From sewing circles to the Pussyhat Project, craft has become a catalyst for social and political change.

Catalyst aims to bring together examples of contemporary, handmade objects from traditional fiber art mediums such as embroidery, knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting and weaving that speak to causes such as healthcare, homelessness, politics, the environment, feminism, civil rights and more. The exhibition does not aim to endorse any particular ideologies or views, but to examine the creative ways in which craft and activism collide and the strength in their reaction.