Bead Museum and Study Center

The Bead Museum and Study Center is dedicated to providing an understanding along with an appreciation of beads which are personal ornaments and among the earliest form of creativity. Unfortunately the museum and study center had to close their doors due to the financial crisis on December 31, 2008. Although the museum has closed many of the programs still run through the Bead Society of Greater Washington.

A new home has been created for the Bead Timeline of History collection, a new home was sought after the closing of the museum. The collection can now be viewed at the Peabody Museum of National History located at Yale University. The decision to place the collection here took into consideration the interest in anthropology and archaeology of many faculty members of the University.

Many events are held by the bead society each year; these include international conferences, exhibitions, the semi-annual Bead Bazaars and even an annual summer Bead Swap. Many of the exhibitions of beads show the pieces as they are used cultural contexts, such as 'Made in Africa: Beads and Adornments'. Showings also include items that are contemporary in nature along with ancient pieces.

All of the members of the Bead Society of Greater Washington are volunteers; they take great pride in beads and will discuss the history of each item with great enthusiasm. The permanent exhibit is a Time Line of beads; therefore this exhibit is constantly evolving. A bead library is also located in the museum which features a 1300 piece reference collection of beads; there are also many books, magazines, videos and slides available for visitors to view. The society also provides and outreach program to public school students along with workshops for members and visitors who like to create beautiful creations with beads.