This review is edited and re-published from a post that originally appeared on June 29, 2005, in the retired blog Confessions of a Chantraphile.
The Art of Beadwork by Valery Hector
Acquired by: Personal purchase.
My latest bead-related acquisition is a new book, The Art of Beadwork by Valery Hector. This is a feast for the eyes, and a delight to anyone interested in historical, ethnic, or contemporary beadwork.
The Art of Beadwork manages to be simultaneously a historical retrospective, a look at the use of beads in different world cultures, and an examination of the influence these factors have on contemporary bead artists. It is divided by cultural region - Asian Influences, for instance - and categorized by sub-cultures within those regions. There is discussion of the meaning and use of beads in those cultures, with photos of both beaded pieces and the beadworkers, followed by text about a contemporary artist who is inspired by the culture. Most sections then have a project that will help the reader to create, if not a whole piece, at least a sample that gives them a good grounding in the cultural technique and style, as interpreted by the contemporary artist.
One of the unique aspects of this book is the many contemporary bead artists who are featured with projects based on their work - some of them artists from whom we really never see projects for the masses. Joyce Scott, for instance, a Baltimore, Maryland beader whose pieces often depict human figures, often with themes related to African-American history. The example shown of her work is called “‘Til All Are Free, None Are Free”. It is a necklace depicting a black slave being held captive with chains and a strong-looking human arm. The necklace is deliberately made uncomfortably small, to help convey the theme to the wearer.
The representative project for this piece is a pair of earings, in peyote stitch, called “Bound”. One earring depicts a knotted rope such as might tie a slave; the other shows the black slave with hands bound by a similar rope.
A section on Xhosa Beadwork of South Africa shows a picture of Nelson Mandela in the early 1960s, wearing tribal garments that include a Thembu beadwork collar. The accompanying text discusses the trial of Mandela in 1962. We are told how he entered the courtroom to stand trial, “dressed not in the Western-style clothing of his white oppressors, but in the traditional attire of a South African chief.”
The contemporary bead artist inspired by this section is the author herself, Valerie Hector. We are shown details of Xhosa beaded collars created in double-layer scallop stitch. Then, as we turn the page, we see a stunning photo of a model dressed in simple black, wearing Hector’s contemporary interpretation of the double-layer scallop stitch technique - a long, drapey piece down to the knees called “Red Ribbon” Necklace. 3″ wide and 73″ long, it’s stitched with needle and thread using red cylinder beads.
The project we are offered teaches us how to make a sample of the necklace, followed by guidelines for then creating a complete full-size reproduction.
I am in awe of this book. The survey of beadwork through history and across the world is inspiring, and the many techniques and projects are a virtual master-level course in the possibilities of seed beads. I intend to approach this as though I’m taking a series of classes, working my way through the lessons and learning more than I could ever have imagined possible in one book.
In case you couldn’t tell - I highly recommend this book!
2007 update: I haven’t actually made any projects from this book yet. Largely because I’m not doing as much beadwork as I used to. But it’s still high on my list of “crafty things I want to do.”
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Posted: August 29th, 2007 under Crafts, Books.
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