Artistry has been intertwined with social justice activism for hundreds of years. Quilt patterns gave signals to slaves escaping through the Underground Railroad, one Lompoc resident said. Red knit caps symbolized resistance in Norway during Nazi occupation, another told the Sun.
Calls for action
For more information about joining Indivisible Lompoc’s events, visit indivisiblelompoc.org or follow on Instagram @lompocindivisible.
Today, the practice is called “craftivism,” a way for people to show support without having to wave signs in the streets.
“To think about it, a flag is a symbol of craftivism,” Lompoc activist Tracy Van Wie said. “Every nation’s flag was crafted to represent something.”
On March 8, the organization Indivisible Lompoc hosted a creative workshop inspired by the Angry Knit-In held in Washington, D.C., that day. Inside the Lompoc Valley Democratic Club office, locals at the Knot Today, Fascism event crafted as their act of resistance, making knitted hearts, beaded charms, coloring pages, and embroidered bean bag animals.
The event coincided with a nearby rally at the corner of H Street and Ocean Avenue in honor of International Women’s Day.
It’s been a little more than a year since Lompoc’s local chapter of Indivisible formed. The national organization aims “to build a real democracy that works for all,” as described on its website.
Van Wie has been with the Indivisible Lompoc since its origins after the 2024 election.
“When the election turned out not the way we wanted, it took about two weeks, and everybody was really pissed off. We got together for an evening of food, wine, and venting,” Van Wie said with a laugh. “By I think December, we had our first unofficial living room meeting. And it grew from there.”
Since officially registering in January 2025, Indivisible Lompoc has acquired more than 650 people on its email list, the organizer said. The group provides space for a community of like-minded thinkers.
Van Wie explained the local movement in these terms: She and her husband went from having five friends to having hundreds, all within a year’s time.
At monthly meetings, the group discusses news headlines and trainings in exercises like de-escalation tactics. Members participate in No Kings protests (the next planned for March 28) and other rallies.
One of Van Wie’s goals is to open as many avenues as possible for people to join Indivisible Lompoc. One of the newest entry points is craftivism.
Beth Cook, another member of the group, sent Van Wie the Angry Knit-In link. From there, the Lompocans started to plan Knot Today, Fascism.
To Cook, crafting is a huge umbrella that can accommodate different types of people on their path to activism. Everyone has their own thing, Cook explained, and some people enjoy being creative.
“It really allows for a large number of people to be able to get in underneath that umbrella, so to speak, and participate,” Cook said. “If they make something and we can give it for donations, then they’ve helped in a way that they might not have been able to otherwise. Maybe they didn’t have the money to donate, but they had yarn sitting around in their house.”
A lifelong artist herself, Cook recently picked up beading as a new hobby. Her colorful, inch-tall charms spell out phrases like “FCK ICE” in tiny beads. Cook became part of Indivisible Lompoc after seeing a protest on the street. Of all her experiences so far, the moment that sticks out the most is participating in her first protest.
“I thought I was alone. I thought we were alone. Maybe a few of us but not a ton,” Cook said. “My wife and I were like, ‘Wow, there’s so many people here.’”
It’s likely that Vicky McClain was also protesting that day. She agreed with Cook’s sentiment about feeling alone, but since joining Indivisible Lompoc in early 2025, McClain has made her own community around town.
“Meeting all these wonderful people in Indivisible has been life-changing,” McClain said.
Throughout her life, she’s embodied what it means to be an activist and an artist. McClain has fun combining those two parts of herself and sharing it with others.
“It’s an opportunity for people to be an activist using their creativity,” McClain said. “And it’s an opportunity for people to be an activist without being out on the street protesting. It’s just a different avenue.”
At the Knot Today, Fascism event, she taught people how to make bean bag frogs with blue kerchiefs, a sign of resistance inspired by protesters in Portland, Oregon, after activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last year. She sewed and filled a few samples and made kits for those who wanted to take the craft home.
Indivisible Lompoc also organizes events to make protest signs, mail postcards to government representatives, and stitch blankets for community members in need.
The club is gearing up for its next big craftivism session on March 20 ahead of the No Kings protest eight days later. Locals are invited to make posters and connect with the community.
Van Wie’s advice is to “bring your glitter and your glue.”
Reach Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in March 12, 2026 – March 19, 2026.