This practice-led research project combines feminist consciousness-raising (c-r) with printmaking to work in a participatory way with a group of women to produce, exhibit and archive a body of prints. Contextualised within the broader history of the Women's Liberation Movement (WLM), consciousness-raising has been used to support women to reflect on the social and political conditions that contributed to their gendered oppression. This thesis surveys critical primary sources from that era, including works by Hanisch (1970), New York Radical Feminists (1975), Sarachild (1975), and Bruley (1976), producing an in-depth understanding of the methods and intentions behind c-r as an activist and liberating practice for women. These insights influenced the methodology of this practice-based
research by applying consciousness-raising principles and drawing on methods from feminist art practice and participatory research. Whilst there is a precedent of artists employing c-r alongside their creative practice (see Feminist Art Program, 1970, Postal Art Event, 1975-7 and See Red Women's Workshop, 1974 - 90), this project is innovative in its use of c-r to work with women in a participatory way.

For the project, a group of women met regularly, online and in person, over one year. The project facilitated discussions and creative making activities which revolved around topics concerned with women's everyday lives, encompassing childhood, school, education, adolescence, health, bodies, freedom, and expectations. By sharing their stories and listening to one another, the women came to acknowledge their collective oppression as women and the individual and shared dimensions of intersectional oppression that influenced their lives.

As the project evolved, it became evident that the creative process played a crucial role in women's expression, self-reflection, and mutual understanding. This thesis shows that as participants moved from the discursive phase of consciousness-raising to an active, creative phase involving printmaking, it allowed them to absorb, reflect on, and creatively interpret the content of the discussions connecting the personal and political dimensions of their lives. Working with Glasgow Women's Library, the project was supported through this participatory phase to host public exhibitions, events and the preservation of the project's output within their archives. The body of work produced by the group took the form of Risograph prints. These prints embodied the experiences of c-r and enabled them to
be shared with broader audiences through public exhibitions and events. This project contributes new insights into the accessibility of this printmaking method in a participatory setting.