Ornament is the leading magazine celebrating wearable art. Explore jewelry, fashion, beads; contemporary, ancient and ethnographic.
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the BEAD BAZAAR BEAD SOCIETY OF LOS ANGELES BAZAAR Robert K. Liu T 74 ORNAMENT 36.2.2012 he Bead Society of Los Angeles was formed in 1975 and ranks among the oldest of such organizations, which still number between seventy to ninety or so in the United States, plus a few foreign ones. The author was a founding member and participated for many years, when he lived in that city. In order to raise funds to sponsor research, speakers or underwrite films, which the Los Angeles group has undertaken on a major level, all these nonprofit societies hold bazaars, usually on an annual or biannual basis. Begun as informal events, many members participated, since each organization always had a core who were in the bead or jewelry business, as well as those who sold to support their collecting or to eliminate duplicates. These informal sales thus benefited both the membership and the interested public, who were provided access to material that might have been difficult to find on the marketplace. As beads grew in popularity, the number of shows increased, so that their regularity and abundance spread. As with all movements, participation is cyclical; coupled with the recent economic downturns, bead shows and bazaars have suffered; sometimes hit with the additional burden of increased rents, decreasing attendance and competition from online sellers. Not restricted to beads, craft, gift and other similar periodic sales events have increased booth fees despite these market pressures. As a counter, many bead or similar shows present workshops, demonstrations or other participatory opportunities. This phenomenon, as well as the chance to see the actual objects versus just images at online sites, and the ability to interact with vendors and other visitors help to make bead bazaars a much more enjoyable event. Since I had moved to another California city, it had been many years since I attended the Bead Society's bazaar, but it was always a pleasure to see members who were longtime friends, such as Joan Eppen, Hilary Whittaker or Paul Johnson, who are either serious collectors or were heavily involved with the bead museums that have closed. A number are regulars on the national ethnographic show circuit, such as Stephen Cohn, of Bwanacon, Becky and Kamol and Matthew Brody of Tiger Tiger. A decided advantage of attending shows and talking to vendors is the economic intelligence thus acquired; Cohn told me his biggest customers are at the Rose Bowl, where large clothing companies, the movie and music industry as well as young Japanese collectors shop. His booth was amply stocked with raffia-strung strands of Czech snake beads from the African trade, because popular singer Rihanna was seen wearing such jewelry, setting off the demand. Such is the power of pop culture. MAIN AUDITORIUM, of Veteran's Memorial Auditorium in Culver City, California, part of the venue of The Los Angeles Bead Society Bazaar. Almost fifty vendors displayed their wares in this one day event, as well as six booths with demonstrations or consultations. BWANACON'S well-stocked display of Czech snake beads is a result of demand for these, after a popular singer wore them. YVONNE WOODS, Bazaar manager and her helpers at bead table for kids. TIGER TIGER, ancient Southeast Asian beads. Photographs: Robert K. Liu/Ornament.