Beadwork on Purse (Tech. demonstration) 1935 - 1942

Harriette Gale made this unfinished beadwork on a purse; the date is unknown, but it gives me a feeling for the process of making, so I’m in. Look at the contrast between the fully realized and the ghostly unfinished section! The right side is like a vibrant, pixelated dream of a small town with a pink church; the left is an echo, the ghost of a plan, a diagram of what could be. I sympathize with the artist, imagining her pausing mid-creation. You can almost feel her decision-making. The texture, the tiny beads, each one a deliberate placement. What was she thinking? Maybe about the person who would eventually carry this purse? I think of Anni Albers and her pictorial weavings, and how other artists have blurred the boundaries between craft and fine art. This is a conversation across time, isn't it? An ongoing exchange of ideas. I love that! It's all so inspiring.