Curator’s Talk: Time, Labour, and the Value of Beads
About the event
Date: Monday, November 30, 2026 Time: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm (Doors @ 6:30 pm) Location: Bata Shoe Museum, 327 Bloor St. W. Tickets: $25
Beads may be small and intricate, but their histories reveal powerful stories of identity, value, and status. In celebration of Beadazzled: The Art of Beaded Footwear Around the World, join Director & Senior Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack for an informative and illuminating exploration of beadwork traditions from around the world, and their role as markers of wealth, prestige, and cultural meaning.
From royal adornment and ceremonial regalia to trade and personal expression, this lecture traces how beads have signaled belonging across time and place. At its core is the labour behind the work: the skilled craftsmanship, generational knowledge, and cultural practices embedded in every stitch. By centering time and labour, the talk challenges conventional ideas of value—asking what makes something “luxurious,” and who defines it.
Through cross-cultural perspectives and historical insight, this talk reframes beadwork as more than decoration, as a powerful language of status, resilience, and artistry.
