After a one year hiatus, Swap-O-Rama-Rama, the weekend-long clothing swap and do-it-yourself workshop promoting creative reuse through clothing recycling is returning to Chicago this spring.
This year's SORR event will be held at Chicago Waldorf School March 19, 20 and 21. With the mantra "Creators Not Consumers" the event is part of an international movement and was first held in New York City in 2005. Organizers plan to make the Chicago event annual each spring.
The weekend will include two-days (Saturday and Sunday) of clothing swaps and handcraft workshops. In addition, a Friday night show and a Saturday evening documentary screening will be featured as well. The swap portion boasts live music, hundreds of pounds of swapped clothes, volunteer-assisted sewing machines and silk screening stations, workshops in sewing, button making, jewelry making, embroidery, knitting and fabric art, mini-fashion shows, and a new “kids section,” to better facilitate the swapping of childrenʼs clothes.
Green Parent Chicago recently spoke to local organizer
Katie Hawkey Swindler about the history of SORR Chicago:
Is Swap-O-Rama-Rama local or part of a national movement/group?
"Swap-O-Rama-Rama is an international phenomenon. Wendy Tremayne organized the first SORR in NYC in 2005 and she licensed the event through Creative Commons so it could be spread around the world. Events have been held across America, Canada and as far away as Jerusalem and New Zealand. You can read all about the national organization and events in other cities at http://swaporamarama.org/"
What would you say are the goals of the event?
"We originally brought the event to Chicago as a fund raiser for Three Sisters Folk Art School in Chillicothe, IL, a retreat for students of all ages with the unique opportunity to learn skills that have been passed down for generations but are becoming less customary in modern times. Our host, the Chicago Waldorf School and the national Swap-O- Rama-Rama organization, will also receive a portion of the proceeds.
But beyond our fund raising efforts, the philosophical goals of SORR are very inspiring. We hope everyone will come out of the event more knowledgeable, inspired and empowered "makers" than they were when they arrived. The event was originally inspired by the DIY ethos of "creators not consumers." We do everything we can to create a community where experienced crafters and the craft-curious come together in a supportive, creative, energetic group where they share ideas, knowledge, skills, tools, designs, opinions and materials. The event has certain rules (like "no mirrors") to force interaction - the catalyst for community.
Entrance to the swap is a bag of clothes and a small donation. The clothes are then added to the community pile. Once participants enter the space, they have unlimited access to everything at the swap: donated clothes and fabric, sewing machines, silkscreen stations and other tools, workshops and our knowledgeable volunteers. After a day (or weekend) immersed in learning and making, we hope that people will start to look at their older or unwanted belongings not as items to discard and replace, but as raw material that can be refreshed or re-purposed and given new life.
Who are the people behind the Chicago SORR?
I am the primary organizer of the SORR Chicago. I receive significant support from my mother, Jennie Hawkey - she's one of the founders of the Three Sisters Folk Art School. Also this year, Talia Hagerty has joined our team as our Fashion Events Director and will be jurying and organizing our "Inspiration Fashion Show" to be held as a kick-off event on Friday.
Cathey Stamps is our contact at Chicago Waldorf School and she has been an amazing resource and supporter. I also had a couple dozen amazingly talented volunteers staff the event in 2008. I expect many of them to return, but we are expanding the offerings of SORR 2010 significantly so I am currently reaching out to find more volunteer crafters and craft enablers.
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Submissions are still being sought from fashion designers who use re-purposed materials in their collections to feature in the "Inspiration Fashion Show" on March 19. The show will feature collections from local designers who use these “green” materials. Designers of all ages may enter in one of three categories: K-12 Student Designers, College Student/Pre-Professional Designers, and Professional Designers. Contact SORR Chicago Fashion Events Director Talia Hagerty (talia@swap-il.com) for submission instructions.
A screening of the documentary "Handmade Nation: The Rise of D.I.Y., Art, Craft, and Design" will be held Saturday, March 20 at 6 p.m at the Chicago Waldorf School auditorium. Filmmaker Faythe Levine traveled 19,000 miles to document the marriage of historical technique, punk culture, and the d.i.y. ethos. The film celebrates the birth and growth of the indie-craft community.
Volunteers are also still needed for the event. A volunteer meeting will be held February 4 at 7 p.m. at Chicago Waldorf School. Details on volunteering and positions needed may be found here.
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