I’m very excited to be taking a class with Robin Atkins, who is probably my favorite beader ever. I’m a huge bead embroidery fan (basically using beads in your embroidery!) and she’s a wonderful teacher!
Taking a class from her also gives me a chance to tell you all about her big internet project, the Bead Journal Project.
The Bead Journal Project was started in June, 2007 by Robin Atkins , who had seen exhibitions of the Quilt Journal Project several years running at the International Quilt Festivals in Houston and Chicago. She was particularly struck by the fact that the work of each of the 400 or so participants was totally unique. Looking at a room full of quilted journal pages, she realized that if they were all mixed up, a person could sort them by artist with amazing accuracy. Obviously, doing this type of work must contribute in a significant way to development of distinctive, individual artistic style.
She then proposed a similar project on her blog, Beadlust. She was astounded at the response and within three weeks, 243 individuals from thirteen countries had become official participants.
The art journal process consists of the artist telling his/her story and reveals their feelings about life during a given month, only in a visual medium.
The journals can be any shape. For example, one 2007 Bead Journal Project member made a beaded button each month and another member made all of hers like a puzzle that went together in the end like a circle. The primary goal during this process is to give an impression about each month, to journal our experiences and record our feelings in a visual way. The actual process of creating beaded journal pages, month after month, is often more significant than what is done with the pieces at the end of the year.
The Bead Journal Project is all about visual journaling using any media and techniques, as long as it includes beading. We are free to structure our beaded journal pages any way we want, as long as all twelve are the same size.
Be sure to check out the 2007 Member’s gallery—the few images I posted here are just a sampling.
Originally published on Frequently Wrong but Never in Doubt
Photo courtesy of Nancy B. Dickey for Bead Journal Project
