Community

Every hobby has “groupies”! Jewelry making is no exception. The online presence of jewelry making is extensive, loaded with creativity and ideas to share. But what about live events and shows?  Physical places where creative minds meet? A list of events and organizations that take jewelry making “on the road”, along with jewelry event calendars can be found below:

Bead Shows – a fantastic way to replenish a depleted stock of beads, find a rare item or simply see an astonishing selection of beads, beyond what you can find in local stores or online.

• Intergalactic Bead and Jewelry Shows, Inc.
• American Bead and Jewelry Shows
• Innovative Beads Expo
• Interweave Bead Fest
• Glass Craft & Bead Expos
• Expo USA
• The Whole Bead Show

Local/Community Events - By doing a simple online search, one can locate an extensive list of Jewelry, Arts & Crafts events specific to nearly any locale. Below is a list of great social and networking sites to locate such events through:

• Yelp
• Meetup
• Village Voice Media publications
• Eventful
• Living Social
• City Search

Tip:

Do an online search for local college, university and community education classes. Often, these classes are low in cost (or free!), and do not require that you are an enrolled student. They are designed for students and community members alike.

Also, many cities sponsor “Art Walks”, “First Thursday” or “Last Thursday” events, when local galleries open their doors for extended hours, and street vendor artists are on every corner. Another simple way to find local area art events is to search “area art events” online. These events are often free to the public, and a great opportunity to rub elbows with local artists, see the creative pieces that they are showing, talk “shop” with them, etc.

Call your friends, set a date, and have a great time exploring your jewelry making community!