This elaborately Beaded Vest (2013) was inspired by the catalogs for the Burpee Seed Company, an online purveyor of gardening supplies. Whereas much Native American beadwork features flat, abstract designs, Marcus Amerman (Choctaw, Born 1959) stitches each bead individually, alternating colors to create three-dimensional effects. The result is vivid imagery that leaps off the surface and defies our expectations of the medium. Continue reading Eye On Design: Beaded Vest By Marcus Amerman→
In 1960, Norman Norrell created one of his most daring and sensational innovations, the first culotte-skirted, wool flannel day suit. Soon thereafter, he debuted the culotte evening dress. Although it took years to gain widespread popularity, Norell responded to the fact that modern women were more mobile than ever and needed clothing to match their lifestyles. Continue reading Eye On Design: Beaded Culottes Dress By Norman Norell→
While I was out west in California for the Christmas holidays, I spent a few days in San Diego, where I visited the historic Hotel Del Coronado, a luxury resort property that’s right on the beach. The Hotel Del, as it is known, has an amazing and colorful history that goes back to the late 1880s and it is arguably San Diego’s most famous landmark building. Continue reading Pink Thing of The Day: Pink Lotus Flower Beaded Purse→
Teri Greeves (b. 1970) is a member of the Kiowa Native American tribe, and her culture deeply influences her work. Khoiye-Goo Mah (2004) translates in the Kiowa language as “Kiowa women,” and four Kiowa women are depicted on these sneakers: the artist’s grandmother and mother, both skillful bead workers who taught Greeves this traditional craft, her aunt (the first female fancy war dancer in the state of Oklahoma), and a spiritual woman who had the honor of naming the artist.
These boots combine the traditional technique of beadwork with modern fashion in an entirely contemporary way. To create them, artist Teri Greeves (Kiowa, Native American, born 1970), elaborately embellished the pair of high-heeled sneakers designed by Steve Madden with imagery significant to the Great Lakes tribes. Continue reading Great Lakes Girls Bead Embellished High Heeled Sneakers→
