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Community Blooms

Join us in our annual Collaborative Community Project!
How it works: Each year we ask artists to contribute a beaded item of a specific theme. We install these collected items in an exhibition highlighting the power of people coming together for the purpose of community and creation. The exhibition is then on display for roughly a year. Once finished, the individual items are used in fundraising efforts for the Museum supporting the staff, development, and programs of this community-based institution. 
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Image curtesy of Lauren Harpster at Bead & Blossom. Links to free patterns below!
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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. 

We will assemble a dazzling beadwork bouquet through the incredible talent and creativity of the beadwork community. Every submission will be its own unique specimen while contributing to the gallery garden…a veritable field of dreams. 

Create flowers, clusters, buds, or whatever floral fancy pollinates your imagination. We want your work to be a part of this special exhibit, no matter your specific style, technique, or experience with beadwork. 


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Guidelines:

  • Flowers can be anywhere between 1” in any direction to 12” in any direction. 

  • As the flowers may be hung or wired to branches/lattice, 3-Dimensional is best, but we are not discouraging 2D as long as they do not fold under their own weight. 

  • Use of an armature, framework, or solid structure to bead upon is acceptable.

  • Each flower needs to have a sturdy “stem” (example; wire) protruding beyond the beadwork. This is how we will attach them to the final exhibit.

  • Found materials are acceptable but we ask that the flowers are at least 70% beads.

  • No color requirements.

  • Single blooms, clusters, or even buds are great. From trees, shrubs, annuals/perennials, or the imagination is perfect.

  • Original designs only. Due to copyrights that some patterns have, we must require that designs are created by you or that you have express permission to use them for this project.

  • Feel free to send us as many as you like. In fact, the more the better!

 
Please mail them to us no later than November 1st, 2026.
When mailing, please include:
  • Your Flowers.
  • Your name, town/state/country, and age (if you wish to share).
  • Whether or not you would like to be listed as a contributing artist.
  • Mail to:
    Museum of Beadwork
    915 Forest Avenue
    Portland, ME 04103 

The final installation will largely depend on how many flowers we receive. 
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Lauren Harpster is a French Bead artists creating in this unique technique for over 10 years. She has published several books as well as a wonderful website with patterns and information. She has been kind enough to allow us to link to her free patterns for use in this community project! Check out her Free beginner course and from there you can find many beautiful, free patterns!

 
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* Fine print, please read!
Upon receipt, the flowers become the property of the Museum of Beadwork. They are intended to be on display at the Museum of Beadwork as an installation for roughly a year before becoming part of an annual fundraising effort for the MOB. Individual Flowers will not be returned.
All submissions to this project become the full property of the Museum of Beadwork and can be used by that institution in any lawful way including (but not limited to) publicity, marketing, exhibitions, sale, etc. in perpetuity. All proceeds resulting from this project will go to support the Museum of Beadwork and its mission.