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Here’s a gallery of photos of beadwork I enjoyed at the State Fair in the Creative Activities building – as well as a gorgeous piece of slumped glass (looks like a Jo Wood piece), a knitted deer head (really!), Minnesota’s most famous canned meat, and more.

I’ll be heading back later in the Fair’s run to the Fine Art building. I’ll have a few more pictures then!

I was delighted to read that Marsha won in the new category, Art Jewelry. It is very hard to even jury into the Fine Arts competition at the Minnesota State Fair (something like 15% of entries were accepted last year); the competition is fierce. Congratulations to Marsha of Haute Ice Beadwork for winning! She also won an award from the Upper Midwest Bead Society for her piece, Half a Crown. Read more on Marsha’s blog. If you’re unfamiliar with her work, spend some time browsing her blog, you’ll thoroughly enjoy it.

In east central Minnesota, about one hour from the Twin Cities, is the Franconia Sculpture Park. “The outdoor, rotating collection of over 75 contemporary sculptures reflects the creative talents of local, national and international artists.” It’s a working sculpture park, with artists in evidence, working on sculptures in all sorts of media. There are regular music concerts and programs in the sculpture park. It was a fun visit, the day after a heavy rain, so mud was underfoot and water was on the sculptures. Click on any picture for a larger image.

One of the current shows at the 18 Hands Gallery in Houson, Texas is on wearable beadwork art. Contemporary Beadwork II showcases bead artists from the area and and across the country. Juried by Jeannette Cook, it looks like a great show to see. It’s on view until the end of July.