Lillian Spiro,  About the Artist: 

I earned my BFA at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University, and taught all aspects of printmaking at the college level for 26 years. I have engaged in printmaking, painting, and drawing all of my life. I have exhibited and won awards in printmaking. My work is included in several private collections, and among the awards that my work has received is a Lessing Rosenwald Purchase Prize for the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

I have always been interested in art history, travel, anthropology, and ancient cultures and their artifacts. These interests have led to a fascination with beads as cultural artifacts and their use in artistic jewelry. 

About beads:  

Beads first appeared about 70,000 years ago and have been made and worn by people of every culture. Beads were traded throughout history. They are typically small spheres, cylinders, or ellipses drilled or perforated for stringing. The shapes reflect the technological limitations of the culture in which they were made. More advanced cultures made beads expressly to trade to advantage with lesser cultures. Europeans exchanged glass beads for beaver pelts in North America; spices in the Pacific and Asia; and for gold, slaves, and ivory in Africa. Beads were used to project status and beauty; personal protection, and curative powers; for the binding of political alliances; and for religious symbolism and passage into the after-life.. The study of beads is fascinating and has led me to design contemporary jewelry using beads from various eras. History, aesthetic composition, color, wearability, and universality are reflected in the necklaces which I compose.

lillianspiro@comcast.net

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     Last update: 07/21/2008