Craftivism in Action: NCAA Net Works

If you live in an urban area, you’ve probably seen basketball courts with missing nets or – almost sadder – nets that are falling apart. Those empty hoops are more than an eyesore, though. They signal to kids in these areas that we don’t care about them. This amazing example of craftivism in action aims to fix that problem.

New Craft Artists in Action (NCAA) Net Works is a group of craftivists focused on urban beautification, and their Net Works project – aka Hoops Spring Eternal (!) – is making urban neighborhoods prettier one basketball hoop at a time.

They’ve been installing nets since 2010, and they’ve created this cool slideshow of the nets they’ve fixed up that’s super inspiring:

The artists at NCAA Net Works aren’t looking to just fix up their own neighborhoods. They’ve released a publication so that anyone with a crochet hook or knitting needles can mend broken hoops in their neighborhood. Actually scratch that, because you can even finger-knit your net! The guide costs $32, which helps them further their mission and help even more kids.

NCAA is made up of Maria Molteni, Andrea Sherrill Evans, Taylor McVay, Cara Kuball, Samantha Fields, and Lizzie Curran with frequent collaborators Golden Arrows and Kevin Clancy, and they’re always on the lookout for new participants.

You can contribute by repairing nets in your neighborhood or by pointing to nets that could use a little bit of love. Head over to the Net Works site to jump in!