Meet Maggie Meister: Master Bead Artist / Educator / Art Jeweler - Interview #1

Listen as Maggie Meister describes her life in Naples, Italy, where her beading studio overlooked Mount Vesuvius on the one side, and the Mediterranean sea on the other. There, Maggie began beading ten hours a day, producing one masterpiece after another. Her beaded necklaces look like they were "made for a Roman empress," Robin Updike observed in her Ornament magazine article on Maggie.
In Italy, when she wasn't taking care of her family or beading in her studio, Maggie began visting archaeology museums, where she was inspired by ancient artifacts of the Greco-Roman world. In this interview, we talk about how these ancient artifacts have enriched her artistic imagination - and how she designs her own classic pieces in response, reinterpreting the past in her singular aesthetic, much as other artists have done, including of course Pablo Picasso, to name one example of many.
Our talk is richly illustrated with these designs and with images of Maggie's beloved Italy and the fascinating people she met, including four Dominican nuns in an ancient abbey who grew olives and made wine. Maggie eventually taught one of the nuns to do beadwork. Or a cameo carver from Torre del Greco whose gnarled hands etched incredibly elegant designs. Or Aldo, the tour guide she befriended, who took her to places that were off limits to most tourists.
Always generous with her beading secrets and tips, Maggie authored a brilliant book, "Classical Elegance: 20 Beaded Jewelry Designs," which was published by Lark in 2012 to rave reviews from bead artists around the world.
Here is a link to her book as listed on worldcat.org:
search.worldcat.org/formats-e...
Maggie's work has been featured in many publications, incuding the cover of "Perlen Poesie" magazine's Issue 14. A full list of publications is posted to Maggie's website here:
maggiemeister.com/publication...
Check out the "Gallery" page of her website here:
maggiemeister.com/gallery.html
Timestamps coming soon.
#beading #beadedjewelry #beadedjewelrymaking #peyotestitch #brickstitch #rightangleweave #jewelrydesign #beadednecklace #jewelrydesigner #beadedearring #beadedearrings #beadedbracelet #studio #artistjourney #beadart #artistlife

[@lynnm.kordus8929]

What a wonderful interview with my favorite bead artist!!!

[@valeriehector]

So glad you like it, Lynn! Thanks for stopping by! Maggie and I are meeting on Friday to record Interivew #2. After that, we'll do a live Q & A. So keep coming back! In the meantime, happy 4th of July!

[@lynnm.kordus8929]

@@valeriehector Will the live Q&A be the same day as Interview 2?

[@valeriehector]

@@lynnm.kordus8929 no it will happen at the end of July or early August. I will post a short video about it next week. I hope you’ll be able to come!

[@lynnm.kordus8929]

@@valeriehector I definitely plan on it, depending upon the date/time. Thank you!

[@Brigid1615]

So cool, i subbed !​@@valeriehector

[@nancygranert7787]

What a wonderful interview! I was lucky to take a class with Maggie Meister at Beadfest near Philadelphia years ago! She was (and is) such an inspiring teacher, passionate about her work and studies!! What a treat to see, hear, and learn from her again! Thank you!!

[@valeriehector]

Hi, @nancygranert7787! I'm glad you liked our interview! And yes, it was good that you got to take a class with Maggie back then! I've heard she's a marvelous teacher - and know personally that she's a marvelous human being too.

[@janemclean4048]

My first visit to the bead stores. in the garment district of Toronto, I was so overwhelmed by how much there was to see, I had to step out of the store and breathe. I was there for hours too. Recently I was in Paris, and then Italy, and most of my pictures are of patterns. Lots of floors! My mind is constantly designing! It is never quiet!

[@valeriehector]

Wow - it sounds heavenly - and overwhelming. You did what any self-respecting bead lover would do - you stayed there for hours! How good that you were in Paris and Italy, taking pictures of patterns...and floors. What a gift to have an imaginative mind!

[@Becca21741]

This is a wonderful interview - I loved seeing the inspiration for Maggie’s pieces and how she interpreted them. I am very much looking forward to the next interview with Maggie. Valerie, thank you so much for bringing these bead artists’ interviews to us. Much appreciated!

[@valeriehector]

Hi Becca, I'm delighted that you like Maggie's first interview! We working on the second one on July 5th - but it will be awhile before it goes live. If you have any artists to suggest to me - please do! I'd appreciate it very much.

[@Becca21741]

May I suggest Joyce Scott? She currently has a retrospective of her work showing at the Baltimore Museum of Art, for the next couple of weeks. I saw it recently. It’s a fantastic show, mostly beadwork with some work in other media.

[@cindyross4377]

Great interview! I have taken classes with you Maggie, this brings back great memories. I love hearing your stories and now some back stories. Looking forward to part two! Thank you Valerie for these interviews!

[@valeriehector]

Hi Cindy! I'm so glad you stopped by! Thank you for watching our first interview - Maggie is wonderful to work with - and a fantastic teacher. I'm glad you had a chance to take classes with her. We'll be recording our second interview soon - and it will launch in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, happy beading!

[@Brigid1615]

Delightful,thank you, inspiring

[@valeriehector]

Hi, @Brigid1615 - glad you liked it! Maggie is wonderful to work with - and such a talented artist. I'm meeting with her again today to work on Interview #2...which should go live within the next 2 weeks. So please stop back again from time to time!

[@SofA-h8t]

Thank you so much for this fascinating video

[@valeriehector]

You are so welcome! Thanks for stopping by! Please come again soon.

[@lorrainerauert1237]

I’m enjoying your interviews-chats with guests, so far and the informative way you have presented this KZbin platform. Loving every moment. Thank you 🌻

[@valeriehector]

Thank you, Lorraine! I'm glad you like the interviews I'm sharing with these marvelous art beaders. More coming asap - so please come back soon!

[@JulieEthier-ue1gv]

What a wonderful, informative and carefully curated interview. Just hearing you brings back so many lovely memories. I have always loved how you bead with components. Thank you, Valerie for sharing this awesome look into Maggie’s beading. 💜💜💜

[@valeriehector]

Hi, Julie! Thank you for your really nice compliments! You are so very welcome - I love this work - and "curated" is exactly the right word. Theyt take weeks to prepare. I'm glad you like my beaded components too. Maggie and I will be recording Interview #2 soon - and it features more images of her beautiful work - and her memories of Italy.

[@janemclean4048]

Great interview!

[@valeriehector]

Thank you, @janemclean4048! I'm really glad that you liked it! Maggie's second interview launches tomorrow morning. I hope you'll like that one too.

[@angelinacroftdesigns]

Thank you so much, just finished listening and watching this fascinating video. Personal stories, beautiful beadwork - doesn't get any better than this. Thank you for doing these interviews.

[@valeriehector]

Hi @angelinacroftdesigns! You are so welcome! I'm glad you liked our interview. Maggie is incredibly talented - and a lot of fun to work with. We'll be recording our second interview in the next week or so - and it should be live after that. Meanwhile, happy beading - and happy 4th of July!

[@CaroleTripp]

Fabulous interview. I felt like I was right there with both of you. So much great information and beautiful beadwork!

[@valeriehector]

Hi Carole! So glad you liked this! Maggie is the best! We'll be recording our second interview soon - about her love of ancient jewelry designs - and how she brings them into her work. More in the near future! In the meantime, happy beading!

[@SofiA-f1s]

Amazing Interview

[@valeriehector]

Thank you, Sofia! So glad you like it! Maggie and I will be recording Interview #2 in a few days and it will be live within 2 weeks.

[@LizaA-h9e]

wow I just say amazing

[@valeriehector]

So glad you liked it, Liza! Maggie and I will be recording Interview #2 soon - and it should be live in mid-July. Then we'll be having a LIVE Q & A session with Maggie at the end of July.