Manitoba Museum Bead-a-Thon

Alloway Hall, Manitoba Museum

Celebrate the beauty of Indigenous culture with an event filled with beading, sharing knowledge, laughter, and community connection.  

Join us for a fundraising Bead-a-Thon on Sunday June 22, hosted by esteemed Cree-Métis beadwork artist Cynthia Boehm, and Manitoba Museum’s Head of Indigenous Programming & Engagement, Tashina Houle-Gaywish. Taking place in Alloway Hall from 10 am to 3 pm, the day will include mini ‘learn to stitch’ tutorials, pop-up visits from our stunning historical beadwork collection, and most importantly, time with community to share, learn, and bead. 

Whether you’re an expert beader, a keen learner, or have never held a needle, this exciting fundraising event welcomes all to share in the joy of beadwork. 

Everyone is invited to showcase their work at our “Artist Open Mic” or display it at a designated sell & trade table. Attendees can purchase food from vendors throughout the day, and/or are welcome to bring their own lunches and snacks. Sharecuterie, Anishinaa-Bakes, and Más Coffee will be attending as vendors.

Tickets are on sale now – a ‘pay what you can afford’ scale is available, and a 50/50 draw will close out the day!  

This fundraising Bead-a-thon will support the Manitoba Museum’s Access for All program – supporting our wide array of community initiatives including free admission on First Fridays, subsidized supplies and workshop fees for our Indigenous art workshop series, and complimentary field trips for children from every corner of Manitoba.

 

Supplies are not included in the cost for registration. If you do not wish to bring your own supplies and project, you can purchase a beading kit along with your registration.

Note: The purchase of a beading kit does not include registration for a seat at the Bead-A-Thon.

 

Tickets and beading kits are currently unavailable online, but will be available at the door on Sunday, June 22.

 

Register today:

 

 

If you have any questions or are looking for more information about this event, please contact Tashina Houle-Gaywish at THouleSchlup@ManitobaMuseum.ca.

 

 

Bead-A-Thon Hosts

CYNTHIA BOEHM

Cynthia Boehm (she/her), a Red-River based beadwork artist and designer, feels most at home when she picks up her needle. As a child, she was surrounded by creative people such as her father, who sketched numerous drawings, and her mother, who enjoyed to knit, crochet, quilt, and sew, and taught the young artist to sew at an early age. But it was Cynthia’s love and appreciation for historic Cree-Métis beadwork that compelled her to further explore the arts, in particular the historical art of her home community Norway House, Manitoba. This love and appreciation was only strengthened when Cynthia discovered her grandmother’s art, which is housed at the Manitoba Museum. This discovery prompted her to extensively research the historical beadwork and embroidery patterns of her Cree-Métis ancestors, specifically the bold and vibrant designs from Norway House that were produced during the fur trade in the mid to late 19th century.

Cynthia has since become a well-known and much respected artist. In 2020, she was commissioned by the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre to produce a “resilience mask”, and in 2024 she received an award at the Santa Fe Indian Market for her dog blanket titled “Muskwa’s Blanket.” In 2019 she was awarded the Barbara Cook Endres First Place Award for her stand-alone floral beaded piece, “My Journey Home — Honouring Our Grandmothers”, which appeared in the competition at the Manitoba Society of Artists Provincial Open Juried Competition. In 2018, Cynthia was given an award for her beadwork at the Interlake Juried Art Show. Both competitions had rarely seen beadwork entered in the past.

 

TASHINA HOULE-GAYWISH

Tashina Houle-Gaywish (she/her) is an Anishinaabe and Swiss woman with family ties to Ebb & Flow and Tootinaowaziibeeng and has been deeply immersed in Indigenous art forms all her life, with a special focus on quillwork. Tashina creates modern and traditional pieces that pay homage to the quillwork of the past.

In 2021, Tashina earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and History from Brandon University, further enriching her knowledge and understanding of her cultural heritage. She currently serves as the Head of Indigenous Programming & Engagement at the Manitoba Museum, where she actively shares the rich culture and history of Indigenous communities.

 

 

 

Bead-A-Thon Special Guests

ALEXIS MILLER:

Alexis Miller (she/her) is a Métis/Bungi artist who believes that everyone has a creative side, and that it is just a matter of finding the right medium. She has been making traditional beadwork and garments since 2012, and had been drawing since she was about three. Alexis is also a writer, a hoarder of seed beads and buttons, a novice traditional hide tanner, and a painter. When she isn’t engaged in one or more of these areas of work you can find her poking around in the plants and mud on the banks of the Red River.

Instagram: @taapway

 

 

AMY MCPHERSON:

Amy McPherson (she/her) is a Metis multidisciplinary artist and fashion designer. Over the years Amy has acquired much traditional knowledge in many forms of art such as beading, quilling, tufting, embroidery, sewing, basketry, and birch bark biting. She is an alumna of Banff Centre of Arts and Creativity, Indigenous Haute Couture residency, and academic achievement recipient of MC Colleges 2017 Fashion Design and Apparel Production program.

In 2021 Amy assisted with her first theatre costume design contract and has been working as a freelance costume designer since. You can find her designs with a number of theatre companies including, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Red Roots Productions, Prairie Theatre Exchange. Her most recent achievement has been being selected to showcase at the 2024 Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week where she showcased an 8 piece collection of Metis inspired pieces.

Instagram: @fashionikwe

 

DAVID HEINRICHS: 

David Heinrichs (he/him) is a queer Michif beadworker from Winnipeg. His family names include Poitras, Champagne, Fisher, and Grant with family connections to St. Vital and St. Boniface.

With an academic background in biological sciences and a passion for connection with land and plant kin, David incorporates these knowledges into his beadwork through selection of plants and an attempt to convey environmental knowledge through the designs and patterns. Thinking about the flowers and plants that go into a pattern creates an opportunity to learn even more about how, where, and when they grow.

His work has been shown in the Remai Modern (Saskatoon, SK), C2 Centre for Craft (Winnipeg, MB), Galerie Buhler Gallery (Winnipeg, MB), and most recently at the Musée cantonal d’archéologie et d’histoire (Lausanne, Switzerland).

He is a citizen of the Manitoba Metis Federation and a member of the Two-Spirit Michif Local.

Instagram: @davidjamesheinrichs

 

GLORIA BECKMAN

Gloria Beckman (she/her) has been an instructor for many years, teaching moccasin and mukluk workshops for schools, in communities, and for the Manitobah Story Boot School. Spending many years working within Indigenous language education within the province of Manitoba, Gloria believes in the importance of incorporating various components of cultures and traditions in language learning. Reflecting on the past few years teaching mukluks and moccasins, she says, “It has been uplifting to see the pride in the students’ eyes while working on their beaded pahkīkinaskisina/leather footwear. Students learning to make mukluks and moccasins connect with their cultural identity, stitch by stitch and bead by bead. Beading is a form of meditation that gives students a feeling of self-pride and accomplishment through their creations. An empowered human only wants the best for all humanity. The stories I have heard from people I’ve met through teaching have given me hope for a better future as more walk away with an ancestral skill.”

 

HAILEY WARD:

Hailey Ward (she/her) is a busy mom of three who was born and raised in Winnipeg. She is Métis on her mother’s side, and her father is from Scotland. Beading has been a meaningful way for Hailey to reconnect with her Métis culture, and she hopes to share her beading knowledge with others. She first learned to bead during the pandemic after picking up a kit from Art City and quickly fell in love with the craft. Beading has truly changed—and even saved—her life.

Instagram: @thecloverbeads

 

 

 

JENNINE KRAUCHI 

Jennine Krauchi (she/her) began her artistic journey as a young child; her family was part of a vibrant Indigenous artistic network, and she learned skills such as beadwork and sewing from her parents and other Indigenous artists. The majority of her adult life she has been working in textile design, beadwork, quillwork, and embroidery. Over the course of her career, her work has been exhibited and collected by museums and art galleries throughout the world, including the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Kelvingrove Museum in Scotland. Jennine works in partnership with museums such as the Manitoba Museum, mentors emerging artists through organizations such as MAWA, and creates commissioned works for organizations such as the Manitoba Metis Federation. In 2024, she was awarded the Manitoba Arts Council Award of Distinction from the Manitoba Arts Council, the Making a Difference Award from the Winnipeg Arts Council, and the Indspire Award.

 

JESSICA ARYCHUK:

Jessica Arychuk (she/her) is a Cree, Métis, and Irish bead artist based in Treaty 1 Winnipeg, Manitoba. She started learning how to bead in 2021 as a way to manage her anxiety, attending several courses to build her skills. In the winter and spring of 2024, she began creating and completing her own pieces and developing a unique style that reflects her artistic vision. Jessica has since started her own business named Wapi Mekwan, where her dedication to quality and attention to detail have earned her a loyal customer base. She enjoys sharing her passion for beading with others, hoping to inspire creativity and encourage the importance of community.

Instagram: @wapimekwan

 

JESSIE PRUDEN

bead n butter is Jessie Pruden, a queer, disabled Métis artist from Winnipeg Canada. Her bright and bold jewelry is inspired by nature and our communities. All pieces are handmade with love and intention using colourful, high quality glass Miyuki seed beads overseen by her precious office dog, Bella. Her work has been featured in Paris Fashion Week, tv shows such as Virgin River and Acting Good, and publications such as British GQ Magazine, British Vogue and Conde Nast.

Instagram: @bead_n_butter

 

 

LANA GAYWISH

Lana Gaywish, an Anishinaabe artist from Rolling River First Nation, is the creative force behind Red Thunder Cloud Beads. With a passion for beading that spans 15 years, Lana has honed her skills through self-guided learning, drawing inspiration from the rich traditions of her grandmothers. She not only sells her beautiful work, but she also shares integral cultural knowledge through beading workshops.

 

 

 

 

LUCY LINDELL: 

Lucy Lindell (she/her) is a Metis free-hand beadwork artist and instructor. She learned to bead through a weekly bead night at the Louis Riel Institute and has been taught various skills and techniques over the years from Lawrie Barkwell, Nancy Gouliquer, Cathy Mattes, and Jennine Krauchi. Lucy is completing a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies and is currently working on her thesis; Beaded and Braided Stories.

Instagram: @dotter_of_the_earth

 

 

 

SHANNON TARA KALIĆ (née Kraichy)

Waabishki Miigwan Creations started as a way to connect with Métis culture, and has turned into a passion to create beautiful accessories out of beads, leather, fur, feathers, and more. The artisan behind the brand, Shannon Tara Kalić (née Kraichy) is Métis, French, Ukrainian, and Polish from Winnipeg, Manitoba, of the Champagne and Legal families. Waabishki Miigwan Creations’ goal is to always create fashion with community in mind (both human and non-human communities), by focusing on reducing waste, reusing and up-cycling materials in artwork and packaging, anti-racism education and connections, and giving back to the community.

 

 

TAMMY WOLFE

Tammy Wolfe (she/her), is a proud member of Norway House Cree Nation and a largely self-taught inter-disciplinary artist. With over 20 years of experience in beadwork, sewing, applique, and seamstress work, she works with fabric, ribbons, glass beads, shells, birchbark, hide, fur, and feathers. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at the University of Manitoba, researching the healing benefits of beadwork, working with the MMIWG2S community. Her work honors Indigenous traditions, Truth & Reconciliation, contemporary social justice, and MMIWG2S, blending heritage with modernity. Tammy’s art emphasizes holistic healing, resilience, and advocacy.