"Bead International 2000," an exhibition organized by The Diary Barn Cultural Arts Center in Athens, Ohio, highlights seventy pieces of contemporary beadwork by fifty-seven artists. The exhibition is a result of a juried competition among artists who work in the specialized medium of beads. Through this exhibition, the Lore Degenstein Gallery offers our campus communtity a revelation of the many inventive and imaginative ways beads are used today as a medium of artistic expression. The History of these of beads goes back to the beginning of time. As a material that was used for ornamentation, it can be traced to 38,000 B.C. in the area known later as Mesopotamia in the Ancient World. Made of glass, shell, bone, or whatever else nature could provide, these object transended all cultures. Mainly beads were used in stitchery as a form if decoration for everyday objects. However, in many societies beads ave also been vital to communication. They have served as an important part of a culture's forms of welath and exchange. It is also typical that many cultures have added a spiritual connotation to these objects. For example, today, religions of nearly two-thirds of the world's population utilize some form of prayer beads. Now there is a new type of art which enables us to encounter this material. The recent emergence of beads used as a medium of fine art has become of current interest in many exhibitions and museums worldwide. Beads are no longer designed only for jewery, adornment, or communication. They are used to interpret the elements of art through their special characteristics of decoration, energy, and the incorporation of ideas. "Beads International 2000" is a focus on the experience of beadwork as a medium of fine art. Beadwork artists are exploring criteria new to their process through traditional elements of all artforms. Traditionally, beadwork has been considered a craft. The idea of craft becoming art is more accessible if we remember that it is not defined by its technique and materials but by its form and content. The objects offered in thes show reveal artist seeking to stimulate thought and dialogue, while intending to excite and challenge the viewer. The selection process and the artwork presented in theis exhibition were the result of a complex jury procedure that reviewed over 400 works during a yearlong competition in the year 2000. Jurors were David K. Chatt, NanC Meinhart, and Kenneth R. Trapp. Each artist submitted up to three objects for consideration. The submissions included a range of objects created by a time-consuming, detailed process to those focusing on the most literal definition of a bead as any pierced object. The exhibition includes a diverse technical representation of an aesthetically stimulating example of the medium. It is the hope of the curators and jurors of this show that a new audience will be receptive to all that bead art now illustrates and that viewers will leave with a newfound appriciation for contemporary beadwork. By bringing these works together, the exhibition gives is a look at the variety and quality of the medium. We appriciate the efforts of The Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center in Ohio for their cooperation in organizing this exhibition. In addition, we acknowledge the generosity of the Charles B. Degenstein Foundation in providint partial funding for this exhibition. This was a large undertaking and it is with excitement that we invite you to come see this heritage of antiquity brought to new life. Dr. Valerie Livingston Garden Party, Kaua'I (detail). A. Kimberlin Blackburn. Beads. 13.5 x 9.5 x 19.5" Collection of the artist.

Last Reviewed By Kimberly Hespos, Jody Horn, Collections Manager Lore Degenstein Gallery Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA 17870 Telephone: 570-372-4059 Fax: 570-372-2729