'A marathon for bead workers': Manitoba Museum holding first-ever Bead-A-Thon

The Manitoba Museum is hosting an event this weekend where participants can create beautiful beadwork, learn new skills, and raise money for a good cause.

Métis beadwork artist Jennine Krauchi and the museum’s head of Indigenous programming and engagement, Tashina Houle-Schlup, will host the museum’s first-ever Bead-A-Thon.

The event will include learn-to-stitch tutorials, pop-ups from the museum’s historical beadwork collection, and the chance to learn, share, and bead. The Bead-A-Thon will also feature an artist open mic where participants can showcase their work.

Houle-Schlup said she hopes participants feel supported and inspired, adding that hundreds of bead workers from across the country will be in attendance.

“It’ll be a marathon for bead workers,” she said.

“So beginners and expert bead workers can come out for a day of beading and support other artists, just being around community.”

The event is raising money for the Manitoba Museum’s Access for All program, which supports the museum’s community initiatives, including free admission on First Fridays, complimentary field trips for kids, and subsidized supplies and workshop fees for its Indigenous art workshop series.

The Bead-A-Thon is scheduled for Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Alloway Hall. Registration can be done online.

• With files from CTV’s Ainsley McPhail.