A Visit to the Bead Museum
The end of January found Sarah and I at the Ebay Ecommerce Forum in Washington D.C. It was a busy week and we’re still processing lots of news and information given to us there. The final day of our trip found us with a few extra hours before heading to the airport and so we took a short stroll down Seventh street to the Bead Museum.
The Museum is operated by The Bead Society of Greater Washington, who developed the Bead Museum as a center for the collection, study and exhibition of beads and related ornaments. It’s a wonderful place, albeit small by D.C. museum standards. Nevertheless, the society has managed to include some wonderful gemstone specimens, a surprisingly large library, a separate work area for classes, as well a retail area which displays the work of some talented local artisans.
By far my personal favorite, however, was “A Bead Timeline of History”. It was worth the visit for this exhibition alone. In a series of display cases, groups of ancient beads are displayed in the context of a historical timeline. The materials and styles of the beads change as civilizations rise and fall, from the first shell beads found in Syria, dating back to 12-10,000 B.C., through the centuries, right up to the present day, where the museum showcases some beautiful modern work by lampwork bead designers. The exhibition is further broken out by geographical area. And so you can see, for instance, Etruscan beads from 800 B.C and their influence on contemporary Chinese beads as the beads were carried over the long silk route to China.
Like most museums in Washington there is no admission fee, but since the Bead Museum receives no government funding and relies on donations, any small offering before you leave is much appreciated.
You can read more about the museum and the Bead Society of Greater Washington by going to their site at:
http://www.beadmuseumdc.org/index.html
Return to Beadaholique.com
Chris Bellomo
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