PAID PARTNER CONTENT
INTERVIEW
Elias Not Afraid on Beading as Luxury

"I'm a member of the Apsaalooke (Crow) nation. I was born and raised on the Crow Indian reservation located in Montana. I’m a self-taught bead artist and fashion designer. I taught myself how to bead at the age of 12. I learned various other techniques over the years, revived a few 'dead' beading techniques that had faded over the years, and created a few new techniques by experimenting. I’m a full-time bead artist (going on six years now).

"The foundations of my beadwork—the materials used, beading techniques, designs, colors, etc.—are what keep me rooted to my culture."

Caption: This beaded cuff set was one of my first entries to Santa Fe Indian art market that won a ribbon. I beaded them on a layer of thin buckskin and layer of Kevlar. When I finished beading it, I lined the backs with multiple layers of Kevlar and smoked elk hide, photo courtesy of Elias Not Afraid
Jewelry That Makes You Think.
WHO WILL WIN AJF'S $7,500 AWARD???
Wednesday, March 2, 12 p.m. EST

Since we can't be on the Internationale Handwerksmesse Main Stage to reveal the winner and finalists of the Young Artist Award (YAA), the next best thing is to make the announcement on AJF Live. The jurors—collector and gallerist Karen Rotenberg, curator Chequita Nahar, and 2020 YAA winner MJ Tyson—will announce their names. The four finalists and the winner will then present their work. Please join us in celebrating their achievements—let's raise our glasses to them!

The biennial YAA competition offers a prize of US$7,500 for the winner and US$1,000 for each of the four finalists, as well as an exhibition at Schmuck—art jewelry's biggest and most prestigious annual event—in July 2022.

This event is free, and open to members and non-members alike. For more information and to register, follow this link.

What time?
9 a.m. PST: San Francisco
10 a.m. MST: Denver
11 a.m. CST: San Antonio, Mexico City
12 p.m. EST: Toronto, NYC
2 p.m.: Buenos Aires, Santiago
5 p.m.: London
6 p.m.: Brussels, Paris, Oslo
7 p.m.: Bucharest, Athens, Tallinn, Capetown, Tel Aviv
12 a.m. on March 3: Bangkok
2 a.m. on March 3: Seoul, Tokyo
4 a.m. on March 3: Sydney
6 a.m. on March 3: Auckland
AJF has the largest international audience of art jewelry buyers, collectors, makers, gallerists, and institutions in the world. We reach more art jewelry buyers worldwide than any other organization.
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