Women and Beads

Beads have been significant in almost every culture and they have been worn as talismans and amulets to protect the wearer or to bring good fortune and wisdom. In the past beads have also been used as currency. Today beads are still used as amulets to bring wisdom and good luck and as talismans to protect the wearer from ill fate.

The word bead means to pray (bidden) or prayer (bede) and is an Anglo Saxon word. Prayer beads are known worldwide and are used to keep track of the sequence and number of prayers being recited. Worry beads are also common around the world and are used to assist in making decisions and keeping the hands busy during times of uncertainty.

Women from around the world have been crafting beads for centuries and for some cultures beads have been used as a form of communication by utilizing specific colors and shapes to send messages. The Zulu women of Africa have been practicing this form of communication for eons.

In our contemporary times most of the traditional symbols used in beadwork are predominately made for sale rather than personal use. Traditional techniques and designs are still being used in bead craft, but many women throughout the world make beads as a means for survival to support themselves and their families.

Wearing beads is a wonderful way of celebrating yourself or honoring a rite of passage into womanhood, motherhood, or cronehood. Beads can also be worn to acknowledge other life-transforming experiences and for their beauty alone.

 To see a Kirra Multi Row Jace Bracelet click on image:

 Kirra Multi Row Jace Bracelet - Brown X No Size

Sculptress

Sculpture is three-dimensional art created by shaping and/or combining materials such as: clay, metal, glass, stone, wood, plastic, textiles, polymers and found items. The term sculpture has now been extended to works that are comprised of light, text and sound.

For many women sculpture is a valuable form of art because it permits them to discover who they are and reflect on their life’s journey; the triumphs in a woman’s life and struggles a woman faces with her body image, as a woman in the world, and in the workplace, etcetera, etcetera.

Sculpting is one of many art mediums that is multi-sensory and can be very therapeutic for the sculptress and the viewer. Through sculpting a woman can overcome self-hatred and experience empowerment through acceptance and self-love.

To see creating with polymer clay click on image:

  Creating with Polymer Clay Bk & Kit

The Value of Women Artists

Why is it that most women artists do not receive the same pay and are not provided with the same opportunities and recognition as their male counterparts? Women have been creating art since the beginning of time just as men have and the feminist art movement created more opportunities not just for women, but also for men with regards to new and different art mediums.

What is it in our global culture that indoctrinates men and women to believe female artists are not entitled to the same dignity as male artists? In general women are not valued and rewarded for their vital contributions to society, so how can women be held in the same esteem as men?

Maybe the first step is to examine why society is not questioned regarding our value. There are more women in the world, more women in the workplace and more women who are head of their household. How do women arrive at a balanced partnership with men in our society, where women are valued equally as men?

There are more female artists than men who create art from countless mediums and yet most art created by women receives little acknowledgement if any. With this said, I would like to recognize a few of my women artist friends now.

Ruth Barrett who is an incredible musician, Falcon River who is a remarkable artist of many talents, Jane E. Ward who is an amazing painter and multimedia artists, Kerry Krittell an astonishing metal smith, Fern Mary Pinecrone who is an unbelievable film artist, Darcelle Foster who is a great wood worker and Pam Stern who is an awesome sculptor.

To see Viva La Charra by Kathy Sosa click on image:

Viva La Charra by Kathy Sosa, 22x28