Bead Society of Orange County

07/31/2026

The Bowers Museum is having a Quilt Fair, and we'll be showing our new quilt-inspired jewelry. Come on down and see the Bowers Quilt Show, and the Fair for a full day of all things Quilt.
Museum

07/29/2026

During an unfulfilling decade spent working in tech, ants began forming in the mind of Tanya Korobkova- each tiny insect representing a different anxiety, phobia or unrealised creative thought.
One day, Tanya quit her job, picked up a needle and- I quote-
“Started sewing like someone was chasing me.”
Korobkova KEPT on sewing, drawing those ants one by one from the confines of her overwrought brain onto soft textile cords designed to grace the wrist and adorn the neck.
The results are unsettling, yet UNFATHOMABLY captivating: regimented lines of bristling bead-bodied crawlies that draw you in with their gleaming abdomens and make you itch with the spidery realism of their tickly textile legs.
Entitled ‘Arkan Cords’, Korobkova’s antworked pieces put me in mind of a stitchified version of Japanese Shibayama insects; Trompe l’oel-worthy inlaid gemstone beetle bodies made flinchingly real with the addition of engraved limbs and thread-fine feelers.
Aside from Katrin Veegen’s LEGENDARY anodised titanium brooch, Tanya’s Arkan Cords are- without a doubt- my NEW favourite iteration of the wearable ant! 😄 🐜😄 🐜
https://www.instagram.com/omage_lab/

07/21/2026

Monday's Beady Child - a weekly creative shot in the arm for beading enthusiasts.
Jóh Ricci
Gettysburg, PA
Elegant sculpture in glass beads and knotting-
This piece by artist Jóh Ricci is among a select number of creative works accepted for Fiber Reimagined IV, an international juried exhibition. What drew us to the piece was its negative space and the harmonious incorporation of thread knotting with fine beadwork.

07/16/2026

The Museum of Beadwork attracts some fantastic talent!

Winners announced!!
Please join us in congratulating the 2026 MOB Challenge winners!
This exhibit is now on display until June, 2027, so now is the perfect time to come see it and vote for "People's Choice" in person. Voting will be held until August 16th.
Today's image is our Grand Prize winner "The Mycelial Heartwood" by Melanie Mosher.
Click the link bellow to view the other winners or stay tuned for their posts throughout the week!

www.museumofbeadwork.org/pages/microbe-challenge

07/15/2026

A spectacular example of traditional Turkana beaded adornment. The assembly and stacking of beaded necklaces is used to great effect.

07/10/2026

Art is art. Rotting lemon made entirely of beads.

07/06/2026

Monday's Beady Child - a weekly creative shot in the arm for beading enthusiasts.
Skye Paul, Dene
Toronto
Skye Paul, of Running Fox Beads, does beadwork via an unexpected medium: in addition to designing earrings, the Toronto-based artist specializes in sewn-on beaded patches, which can be applied onto denim or leather jackets.

Though her work is a more youthful take on the art of beadwork, Paul does reference traditional motifs from her Dene heritage. “I’m inspired by [our] traditional medicines—sage, sweetgrass, cedar—as well as tattoo flashes,” she says.

06/29/2026

Monday's Beady Child - a weekly creative shot in the arm for beading enthusiasts.
Sičáŋǧu Lakota artist Dyani White Hawk
For Sičáŋǧu Lakota artist Dyani White Hawk, the construction of American art history lies at the core of her multidisciplinary practice.
Mirroring the meditative labor and incredible attention to detail required to create traditional Lakota artworks—from elaborately beaded garments to abstract paintings—White Hawk creates energetic installations that are bold and confrontational.

06/22/2026

Monday's Beady Child - a weekly creative shot in the arm for beading enthusiasts.
Sherry Serafini - bead artist for the stars!
Sherry has dabbled with nearly every medium available - none of which compare to the emotions she evokes from her beadwork.
Her off the hook jewelry pieces have been featured on the covers of trade magazines and catalogs. Sherry is the co-author of the Art of Bead Embroidery with artist & friend Heidi Kummli and Sensational Bead Embroidery by Sherry Serafini. Her beaded art is known internationally and has been worn by Grammy winner Melissa Etheridge, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz, pro golfer Michelle Wie and singer Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas. You go girl!

04/13/2026

Monday's Beady Child - a weekly creative shot in the arm for beading enthusiasts
Welcome to the first of many weekly posts dedicated to giving your beading skills inspiration for out-of-the-box creativity.
Today, we're featuring the work of Liza Lou that incorporates beaded brushstrokes with paint. The artist constantly asks in her work "When does a painting become not a painting? Can a brushstroke be more than a brushstroke?" Enjoy Enjambment, Lou's recent work (2025). Be sure to enlarge the image to see the intricate bead work!