Bead Retreats
Online Classes
Meet the Teachers
You'll have a chance to meet the teachers Thursday night at the beverage and dessert reception, but read a little about them here first!
Sherry Serafini
Unusual objects and shapes become part of a new story as Sherry stitches beads and gemstones, one at a time, to a felt like base. Most pieces are born spontaneously as the beads and Sherry’s imagination dictate the design. She seldom works from sketches. Sherry finds this meditative form of art to be a rich counterpoint to a society full of instant gratification. Some pieces take a year to complete. Each is unique.
Sherry was raised in a military family, moving every few years. She credits that nomadic lifestyle with giving her an adventurous and uninhibited approach to her work.
Sherry was voted one of the top 10 instructors in the United States by Bead & Button magazine. She lectures and teaches throughout the U.S. and has won numerous awards for excellence in design, including Saul Bell Outstanding Jewelry Design Award, Bead International 2006, People’s Choice Bead Dreams, Runner Up Best in Show Bead Dreams, Kennedy Best of Nationally. She has been published and has written articles for several well-known magazines. Her work has been featured on the covers of trade magazines and catalogs and is the co-author of the Art of Bead Embroidery with artist and dear friend Heidi Kummli and Sensational Bead Embroidery by Sherry Serafini
Sherry’s beaded art is known internationally and is owned and worn by Grammy winner Melissa Etheridge, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz, and singer Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas. Her beadwork has been seen at fashion week in Milan by the artists who commission her.
My name is Miriam Shimon and I'm a bead artist originally from Denmark, but living in Israel for the last many years. I've always been creative and involved with art but beads and jewelry took my fancy 8 years ago and this is my main occupation today,- mainly teaching the many wonderful ways to create colorful art with glass beads, soutache, crystals, silver and gold.
My work has been featured in numerous magazines around the world and my work has won several awards. However, my priority love is still creating unique one of a kind pieces, each individually crafted and with its own soul.
Miriam Shimon
Katalin Budaine' Nagy
My name is Katalin Budainé Nagy, alias BéKata.
I live in Budapest, Hungary. I have always loved all kinds of creativity, in my younger years I was sewing, drawing and painting for years. I graduated as an interior designer in my early thirties, where I studied art history, chromatics, drawing and furniture history amongst other subjects. I enjoyed those years very much, these studies developed my creativity and designing skills. I turned to jewelry making 15 years ago, at first I worked with wire, but that was not for me. Then I started beadweaving, but it was not satisfying enough either, I felt I could not fly high enough. So I decided to try bead embroidery… When I saw the American and Russian ladies’ artworks, I felt I had arrived in my own creative world… I am continuously learning new techniques, looking for new materials, tools, I love mixed media, and my new love is polymer clay. It is huge fun to combine these two techniques, the result is always a completely unique piece of art. I have been teaching bead embroidery in Hungary for 4 years, in the biggest beadshop of Budapest.
Kara Orcutt
Guest Instructor for Optional Classes
Kara Orcutt has always had a deep passion for arts and crafts, with a natural curiosity for figuring out how to create beautiful things and mastering each new skill she picks up. Her journey into beading began over 20 years ago, and since then, it has become a magical form of expression. Kara finds immense joy in sharing her expertise, and her talent for teaching comes naturally, allowing her to inspire and guide others on their own creative paths. Beyond the craft itself, it’s the wonderful, supportive community of people she has met that has made this journey truly extraordinary for her.