The Eternal Bead –
A New Exhibition at the Bead Museum
THE ETERNAL BEAD EXHIBITION HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR.
The first beads we know of were shells worn by early cave dwellers over 50,000 years ago. Humans had learned to control fire and make simple tools, but were not yet painting images or ritually burying their dead. The exact origins of beads and when and where they began to be imbued with symbolic meaning are murky and scholars continually research and debate the related issues.
Ribari fan
Gujarat, India (Kutch region)
Collection: Jacques Carcanaques
We do know that over time and around the world, beads have served many purposes that enrich their meaning far beyond their beauty and use for adornment. People have used beads to tally property, to trade for goods, animals, and favors, and to record information and seal contracts. People have worn beads to proclaim their identity, status and kinship, to bedazzle others, to heal body and spirit, to protect each other, and to please themselves. Beads continue to delight us today.
Could beads talk, they would tell tales of men and women who have treasured them over the ages. Tales of people who make them, wear them, pray with them, pledge love with them, show off with them, and celebrate with them. Beads speak of power, dreams, and desires -- of how they enhance peoples’ allure, mystery, or safety -- of the evolution of material technology -- of style, creativity, and beauty.
The humble but mighty bead reflects the fascinating story of earth’s peoples, cultures, treasures and triumphs. Nestling near the core of the human psyche, beads help satisfy our fundamental human needs to: ACCOUNT, ACQUIRE, BELIEVE, PROTECT, IDENTIFY, CELEBRATE, ENJOY, and CREATE.
This exhibition features 251 stunning articles of jewelry and beaded attire that illustrate how beads have been and continue to be used across time and continents in these eight fundamental ways.
-- Hilary Whittaker
Curator
The 12-page “Eternal Bead” exhibition booklet details how beads are used to account, acquire, believe, celebrate, create, enjoy, identify, and protect.
Download the booklet for free, or order it for $2.
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order by mail: $2 Buy Now
Send Us an e-mail: info@beadmuseumdc.org
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