Did You Know There’s a Museum of Beadwork in Portland, Maine?

It's amazing what you never realize is right under your nose until you randomly come across an Instagram video.

Museum of Beadwork

In this very nondescript building, with the exception of the Caravan Beads sign, is the Museum of Beadwork which opened in 2023 on Forest Avenue. I've driven by this building twice a day for years and never noticed that there was a museum solely dedicated to beadwork.

What is Beadwork?

That was my first question when I discovered the Museum of Beadwork was right there. As always, I look to Wikipedia to learn about something I don't know and I learned that beadwork is pretty self-explanatory:

Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary by the kind of art produced. Most often, beadwork is a form of personal adornment but it also commonly makes up other artworks.

The Museum of Beadwork website says that they showcase beaded artwork by housing and displaying the finest examples of beaded jewelry, clothing, sculpture, accessories, and tapestries as well as the work of contemporary artists.

A Peek Inside the Museum of Beadwork

Kelly Hinkle lives in Columbia Falls, Maine, and has a popular Instagram channel that often goes to visit unique places in Maine with a camera in hand. He paid a visit to the Museum of Beadwork and I have to say that the work that people do with these beads is pretty amazing.

A post shared by Kelly Hinkle (@downeastcowboy)

If you'd like to visit the Museum of Beadwork, they're located at 915 Forest Avenue in  Portland and are open Friday and Saturday from 10 to 5, and Sunday from noon to 4.

You can learn more about the Museum of Beadwork at museumofbeadwork.org.