beadwork Exhibition of My Beadwork... April 1 - May 3!!! By beadlust.blogspot.com Published On :: Thu, 26 Mar 2015 00:49:00 +0000 Beadlust an exhibition of bead and fiber works by Robin Atkins This is the first solo exhibition of my work! I am very pleased and honored that the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum offered me a show in their new Local Artist Exhibit Program's first-floor Landmarks Gallery. There are 28 pieces in the exhibition, including beaded quilts, books, dolls, and framed art. Several of the pieces are new and have not been exhibited previously. Below is one of them, a beaded and embroidered collage using some of my hand-dyed, re-purposed fabrics. Every Child Should Have Her Own Tree, hand-dyed, beaded, embroidered fabric collage I hope some of you will be able to come see my work, as well as the work of the other two featured quilt artists in the upper floor galleries. Exhibition Information: Where: La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum, 703 2nd Street, La Conner, WA When: April 1 - May 3, 2015. Museum hours are 11-5 Wednesday through Sunday (closed Mon. & Tues.) Contact Museum: 360-466-4288; web www.laconnerquilts.org Info about the exhibit: http://www.laconnerquilts.org/beadlust---robin-atkins.html Other exhibits: The work of Denise Miller and Nancy Ryan is on the 2nd & 3rd floor of the museum; Robin’s work is on the 1st floor Exhibition Events: Opening reception at the museum: April 1, 4 to 7 pm; all three artists will be there; free admission Demonstration at the museum: Robin demonstrates process and techniques of bead embroidery, April 1, 2-4 pmWorkshop: Robin teaches Improvisational Bead Embroidery, May 2-3 in La Conner http://www.laconnerquilts.org/improvisational-bead-embroidery.html A couple of readers have contacted me asking if the above work, or any of the other pieces will be for sale... Nope, afraid not... exhibition only, although the museum's excellent gift shop does carry my books. Full Article art quilts bead art exhibition Bead Embroidery Beadwork improvisation indigo dyed fabrics Quilt Museum
beadwork Exhibition of my Beadwork! By beadlust.blogspot.com Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2015 19:36:00 +0000 Bringing my beadwork to the Museum Many, many moons ago, when I first started beading, I made an important decision about my future beading career. I decided not to be in the business of selling my beadwork. That’s a huge and somewhat uncommon decision for an artist, because most feel that in order to justify the time it takes to do beadwork and the cost of materials, it has to be sold. Many also take sales of their work as a marker of their skill as an artist… “if it sells, then I am an artist; if I sell lots of it, then I am a successful artist; if a gallery takes my work, then my work is good,” etc. Demonstration prior to the Opening on April 1st. My dear friend, Liz, drove to La Conner for the opening! Those are tempting thoughts, aren’t they?! However, I had previously been a metalsmith, making one-of-a-kind silver and gold jewelry for 5 years. During those years, I experimented with various methods of selling my jewelry – craft fairs, home shows, commissions, galleries – and found that I hated all of them. Marketing my work, talking about it, looking in people’s eyes as they walked by my booth without stopping, answering questions about how I made something, knowing the person asking was also a metalsmith and might copy my ideas – all of that was like a millstone around my neck, depressing, daunting, and no fun at all. So, when beadlust jumped in my heart, I almost immediately decided I would not sell my work. Instead, I would make my living by selling beads and beading supplies, teaching others how to bead, and writing books about beading. It’s been a great pathway for me, almost always fun, challenging, exciting – and, it has paid my bills and given me the means for many beady adventures. To be sure, I have sold some of my beadwork, especially jewelry, here and there. But it’s always when opportunity comes to me, not when I’ve struggled to be accepted for a show. Twenty-seven years later, I am looking back down my beaded pathway with great satisfaction, pleased as punch about my initial decision. Twenty-seven years later, I also own a substantial stash of beaded objects that I’ve made over the years – beaded jewelry, bags, books, dolls, wall art, sculptures, and quilts. While many of them decorate my studio and home, some live in boxes, stored away in cabinets. I feel a bit guilty about those poor babies. Shouldn’t I get them out, brush the dust off, and sell them? Oh yeah, I forgot, I hate selling/promoting my beadwork. All of the above is to introduce a fabulous and unexpected opportunity that came my way recently… The curator of the La Conner Quilt & TextileMuseum contacted me to ask if I would be willing to exhibit my beaded quilts and other beadwork in a one person show at the museum for the month of April, 2015. WOW! Would I be interested? You bet I would!!!! Twenty-eight pieces! Once I cleared the pieces for the show out of my studio, the nearly empty walls and display counter was depressing. Guess what happened? I opened up those boxes, and brought out things I hadn’t ever displayed, or at least hadn’t displayed for a long time. What great fun to see them every day this past month! I love it! Two days ago the show closed (waaa), and my work is back home again. Here it is, all piled up on my studio tables. Nice to have it home; not so nice to decide which pieces go back into boxes. Exhibition closed - beadwork back home again And then there is the question of what is to become of it in the long run. I am 72 years old. It might be time to start thinking about that. Some will go to my beady friends, and some to my nieces and nephews (if they want it). And, I’d die happy if I knew that some of the best pieces were in the permanent collection of a museum or two. Rosie, The Uncaged Hen, for example should be in a museum, don’t you think? Rosie, The Uncaged Hen Having the show in La Conner, seeing my work so beautifully displayed there, gives me the energy to start thinking about the future of my beadwork, to make a list of my all the pieces, place an "insurance value" on them, and start talking to acquisition curators about it. Although the idea of this task seems a little like “selling my work,” the show in La Conner makes it worth the effort. La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum Full Article art quilts bead art exhibition bead business plan Bead Embroidery Bead Jewelry beaded quilts beadlust Beadwork Quilt Museum
