Beadweaving takes the spotlight in this wonderful addition to the Masters series, which focuses on leading artists in specific craft media.

The diverse group of masters who have been selected for inclusion in these pages reflects the incredible diversity of talent represented in today's beadweaving community. What engages them about their chosen medium? Is it the slow, solitary,and meditative nature of beadweaving? The tactile, colorful beads themselves?

Beadweaving takes the spotlight in this wonderful addition to the Masters series, which focuses on leading artists in specific craft media.

The diverse group of masters who have been selected for inclusion in these pages reflects the incredible diversity of talent represented in today's beadweaving community. What engages them about their chosen medium? Is it the slow, solitary,and meditative nature of beadweaving? The tactile, colorful beads themselves?

In this insightful survey, the artists reveal what draws them to the craft and present their most impressive works in stunning color photographs.Short essays by curator Carol Wilcox Wells,a master beadweaver herself, place the artists within the context of the beadweaving field.

Huib Petersen uses a variety of stitches to interpret a multitude of living creatures and their habitats on necklaces that each tell a story.deane~e Ahlgren's intricate loom-woven vessels focus on subtle gradations in color and graphic,geometric patterns. And David Chatt's sculptures and jewelry explore the potential of beads as a vibrant medium with an endless variety of dimensionality and textures.

The extraordinary masters showcased in this collection will impress artists and collectors alike with the versatility and innovation displayed in their work.

Introduction

THE MASTERS

Valerie Hector

Sharon M. Donovan

Diane Fitzgerald

Laura Willits

Ann Tevepaugh Mitchell

Marcia DeCoster

Joyce J. Scott

Jeanette Ahlgren

Natasha St. Michael

Amolia Willowsong

Linda Fifield

NanC Meinhardt

Sonya Clark

David K. Chatt

RachelNelson-Smith

Maggie Meister

Sharmini Wirasekara

Laura Leonard

Leslie Frazier

Don Pierce

Laura McCabe

Madelyn C. Ricks

Melanie Potter

Huib Petersen

Sherry Serafini

Wendy Ellsworth

Cynthia Rutledge

Rebecca Brown-Thompson

Susan Etcoff Fraerman

Eleanor Lux

Karen Paust

Marcie Stone

Dallas Lovett

Margo C. Field

Virginia L. Blakelock

Jo Ann Baumann

About the Curator

Portrait Photographers

Acknowledgments

Index of Featured Artists