Making a Living as a Glass Bead Artist
An interview with Pam Dugger of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers
Interviewed by Bernadette Finnerty

TCR: What is your background as a bead artist, and how did you become involved with the International Society of Glass Beadmakers?

PD: In the late 1970s, I began making jewelry and fused glass pendants. Finding beads to match those beautiful glass pendants was not easy, so I developed a method of fusing beads using a torch, strips of stained glass and kiln element wire covered with thinned clay. The colors were not always very pretty, but the idea was fascinating.

I was always searching for more information on beadmaking and eventually heard of the Society of Glass Beadmakers (now called the ISGB). Once I started making beads, all other artistic pursuits came to a halt and my focus has since been on glass beads only.

TCR: What are the biggest challenges related to running a successful business as a bead artist?

PD: There are, of course, many people who have no idea that a person can make glass beads, but I find that the general public has at least become more educated in these past years. I still find that you have to explain the entire method of making glass beads before someone will finally say, “Oh, you mean you made that?”

At one point early on in my career when I was focusing on encased flower beads, which resembled small paperweights, I remember going through the whole explanation and then having the person say, “Okay, but how did you get that plastic flower inside?” Educating the public is one of the focuses of [the beadmaker’s society] and should be a prime concern of anyone in the
business.

I think the biggest challenge is finding a style of glass beads that can be identified as a beadmaker’s own by the public. It seems that everyone wants to buy a few simple supplies and immediately start making salable beads without perfecting their techniques or taking the time to develop their own style.

As a result, a flood of beads are sold in various venues that all look the same. Beginners who may not have the appropriate knowledge price their beads at a very low price just to partially recoup their investment. So, the beads the customers buy may not have been properly made or annealed and may crack or break later on. Educating the consumer to be able to evaluate the quality of glass beads is very important.

Pam Dugger

TCR: How can economic factors affect a bead artist’s ability to market and sell his/her work?

PD: First of all, I think we can safely divide studio glass bead artists into three categories — the first is the crafter. These are hobbyists who make beads for the love of the craft. They may sell a few beads or finished jewelry at local craft shows and price their beads to allow them to recoup their costs.

The second category is production bead artists. Production beads are made by a studio artist who sits down at their torch and replicates a certain bead many times to produce a line of work that jewelry makers will use in their products. They may produce 50 or 100 beads in one day.

The third category is studio bead artists who use their torch to make a unique bead that can be used as a focal piece by jewelry makers or displayed as a work of art on its own. This artist will make two to five pieces in one day.

Economic factors affect all the artists in different ways. The crafter is probably the least affected because he or she is only trying to replenish their stock of glass and other supplies used in making their beads. If they don’t sell any beads, they’ll generally keep making them for the love of the craft.

The production bead artist is affected by the needs of the jewelers. When the economy is in a downturn, the jewelers may choose less costly materials to incorporate in their jewelry or may cut back on the amount of finished pieces they make.

The studio bead artist is affected only through the galleries they sell to or the jewelers using their beads. As this is generally a high-end product, a slight decline in the economy will probably not have a big impact. However, a long-lasting, pronounced decline will eventually come to affect studio artists as well.

TCR: What is the best way for bead artists to find their market and sell their work to customers who are interested in and appreciate it?

PD: Wear your work — that is the best advertising you can do. I believe artists should also try different venues for what they sell, from craft shows, art shows, bead shows and specialty shows, to bead stores and art galleries, just to name the most obvious. After trying many different venues, you can decide what type is most appropriate for what you are selling and for your lifestyle. I really prefer staying home with my dogs, so I don’t travel to a lot of bead shows. I have found that with the type of beads I make, I can sell to galleries over the Internet and only do an occasional bead show.

TCR: How have current or past trends affected glass beadmakers?

PD: Trends in the fashion world have a big impact on most beadmakers; the current trend for larger important jewelry is an advantage for us. Color trends may also affect the colors used when the beads are being made for jewelry. Again, trends do not affect the studio bead artists as much as the production artists or the crafters.

TCR: What are some “hot topics” that bead artists face and how would you and the ISGB recommend resolving them?

PD: The ISGB has a forum on its Web site for health-related issues, such as ventilation, ergonomics, etc., and strives to keep glass bead artists informed through the forum and its newsletter.

One of the hottest topics discussed among glass beadmakers currently is derivative work. Bead artists need to understand and respect that techniques are out there for everyone to use, but combinations of techniques producing specific results may be unique to a certain artist. While everyone learns from copying beads made in class by their instructor, selling copies of other artists’ work is inappropriate.
As for jewelry artists buying handmade beads to use in their designs without giving credit to the beadmaker, I have my own opinion on that.

If studio glass beads are sold to a jeweler, the bead artist is knowingly giving up their right to those pieces and should only expect recognition if the jeweler wishes to reveal the source of the beads. That source could be considered a trade secret of the jeweler because it makes his or her jewelry unique.

However, the jeweler should never present the beads as their own work. Again, respect is a major part of doing business with various art fields. If a certain bead is a focal point or the centerpiece of a piece of jewelry, then it could become a selling point to list the name of the beadmaker. But, if the jeweler has paid for the bead, it is their bead and we have to rely on the integrity of the jeweler as to whether or not he shares the name of the bead artist.

Bead artists who are concerned about the use of their beads should not offer for sale those beads that they do not wish to see in jewelry or have a contract defining the specific uses or rules under which the bead or beads can be used.

ISGB will be addressing many of these issues on the ethics of beadmaking in its Instructors’ Seminar this year in the hopes that information will be passed on to future beadmakers.

AUGUST 2002: TABLE OF CONTENTS