Beautiful beadwork has been part of Native American culture for hundreds of years, and Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum has stunning examples of diverse beading traditions from all across the continent.
Join us for our 3rd Annual Beadstock, which celebrates these traditions with beadwork vendors, demonstrations, speakers, and more.
Willowisp Studios will be demonstrating laser engraved scrimshaw on Tagua nuts that will be made into jewelry. They will also have ready-made Tagua nut jewelry for sale. All original designs, with all artwork done by hand.
Click here to purchase tickets for Beadstock. Tickets include admission to the museum.
Also featured at Beadstock will be three workshops and three lectures!
At 10 AM, Katie Devoid will lead a workshop on wampum bead bracelet making. Click here to learn more and buy tickets for the wampum workshop!
At 11 AM, Andy Bullock, Director of Mt Kearsarge Indian Museum, will give a talk on Beadwork in the MKIM Collection.
At 12 PM, Chris Bullock will host a workshop on the “lazy stitch” beading technique. Chris Bullock has been collecting and restoring Native American artifacts for over 50 years and has been doing craft work for 49 years, his specialty being bead and quill work. Click here to purchase tickets for the lazy stitch workshop.
Click here to see a lazy stitch tutorial by Chris!
At 1 PM, Brian Robertshaw, Founder of the Lost Foundation, will present a lecture entitled “The Origins of Beads and Various Highlights in their Existence.” Additionally, another talk will speak about “Beads as Sacred Objects used in Prayer and Ceremony.”
At 2 PM, Sue Cannella will lead a workshop on beaded tassels. Students will need some basic skill with needle and thread, and should be comfortable working with seed beads. They will each have a large focal bead to be embellished with a seed bead tassel and a couple of accent beads, and they should be able to complete the tassel in the class time. Kits will be available for $4.00, or they can bring in a favorite large focal bead and coordinating seed beads of their own choosing. Click here to purchase tickets for the bead embroidery workshop.
At 3 PM, Carolyn Rordam will be giving a presentation on “The Invention of Glass in a Tiny Bead," about how glass beads are the key to understanding the origins of the invention of glass.
Note that admission to Beadstock will include the lectures but not count towards attending the workshops. Tickets for the workshop will be sold in advance. Don’t delay! The lazy stitch workshop and embroidery workshop are limited to 8 participants and the wampum workshop is limited to 10 participants. Workshops are first come first served.
Beadstock is generously sponsored by Eversource.
