Baltimore Bead Society

08/02/2026

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07/10/2026

A Fruitful Night at the New Hope Lodge!

We are thrilled to share that the newly opened American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Baltimore City has officially resumed its bracelet-making events!

Led by our wonderful outreach coordinator, Yuko Ota, this program brings caregivers and patients together to take a creative break and craft beautiful memory wire bracelets. The Baltimore Bead Society is incredibly proud to provide all the materials and how-to guides for these sessions.

Yuko reported that their June 17th return event was a huge success, and just look at the stunning bracelets the participants made!

A massive thank you to Yuko and everyone who supports our BBS outreach programs. Your contributions help bring moments of creativity, community, and joy to those going through treatment and their loved ones.

07/10/2026

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Botanic beadery is blossoming!
You’re invited to contribute to our latest Community Project, and this year’s theme is “Community Blooms.”
We want you to create beadwork flowers that will be part of a year-long exhibit in our Gallery. Once finished, the individual items are used in fundraising efforts for the Museum supporting the staff, development, and programs of this community-based institution.
For more details and guidelines for the project, follow
the link: www.museumofbeadwork.org/pages/community-blooms

07/09/2026

Great news, BBS community! 🕊️ Our contribution to the Peace Chain Project has officially been sent and received by the Midwest Bead Society!

We are incredibly proud to announce that our members submitted a grand total of 50 feet, 6 inches of beaded peace rings to the project.

A massive THANK YOU to everyone who contributed their time, effort, support, and of course, peace rings! We loved seeing members of all ages at our peace link classes, from our wonderful adults hard at work to the next generation of younger beaders joining in on the fun.

Check out the photos from our classes below, including a shot of Paula Privott modeling the incredible links before they were shipped out!

Thank you for making this outreach project such a huge success. 💖

07/08/2026

Winners of the Spring Bead Challenge!

Entries had to use glass, but the glass couldn't just be beads! (That was very tricky, Gay! 😉)

First Place: Barbara Svoboda for her amazing mosaic portrait of Joyce Scott.
Second Place (Tie): Donna Threadgill’s "Stained Glass Happy Peacock" and Joanne Kim’s "Multiple Media Winter Bling Blues."

Congratulations to our incredibly talented members! Check out the photos to see the winners with our challenge creator, Gay Durland.

06/05/2026

Swarovski officially reversed its 2021 restrictions, announcing that crystal components are freely available to all customers again. As of June 1, makers, hobbyists, and businesses can purchase loose crystals, beads, and flatbacks with no brand control agreements or minimum approvals, and they can freely use the Swarovski name in marketing.

Send a message to learn more

05/07/2026

May 2026 BBS Newsletter: New Classes, Fun Project for All & More! -

Members: Can't make it to the meeting? Send an email to Lisa at [email protected], and a Zoom link will be emailed so you can join us online!

04/20/2026

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The Museum of Beadwork in Portland, Maine is calling for new, existing, or historic works categorized as craftivism, protest, and resistance art.
The “Piercing the Silence: Everyday Art of Resistance” exhibition's purpose is to unveil the value of craftivism, resistance, and protest art works and the people who created them. As for many, art is used to express a person’s inner emotions and as a way to externalize a lived experience.
As a beadwork museum, we typically show a preference for beaded art, however, in this exhibit we accept all works, new or historic, created with needles as a primary tool including: knit/crochet, embroidery, quilting, leatherwork, cross stitch, and of course, beadwork.
For more details and how to apply, follow the link: www.museumofbeadwork.org/pages/piercing-the-silence