In these uncertain times, it will be the arts that serve as artifacts and bear witness to our current realities when we are no longer around to tell these stories. With the visual nature of our current society, the visual is more important and more powerful than ever. While the term was coined in 2009 by Betsy Greer, this work has long and deep roots in community-based efforts of arts and activism. This study conducts a visual exploration and analysis of two craftivism acts, the 1985 We Are the World music video and the 2025 Super Bowl performance. Using a thematic analysis of craftivism and a critical visual analysis we look at these two seminal moments in craftivism, and how it expands our notion of craftivism and the need for the visual in promoting awareness, advocating for marginalized communities, and moving towards social justice across time, place, space, and modalities.
