“Beadwork is in my blood,” says Ken Williams Jr. (Arapaho/Seneca). “It’s a long-term matrilineal practice in my family on my mom’s side. Everyone was always encouraging me.”
Williams, who is enrolled with the Arapaho tribe in Wyoming, grew up around elders who had beadwork in the home. That early exposure put a hook in him. He started beading at 5 years old. “A lot of it was self-taught, and then I would also emulate what I was seeing,” he says. “At one point I was told, ‘Here are your beads. Here is the buckskin. Now work.’ I didn’t get the hand-holding lessons someone would get in a school setting.”
Color Works Tino, beaded necklace, vintage and new cut glass beads, faceted garnet, crystal quartz, chrysoprase, amethyst, Swarovski crystal, freshwater pearls, vintage tile beads, brain-tanned smoked hide, dyed horsehair, sterling silver box clasp, coral, lapis and sugilite, rubies, 36” (necklace), 3¾ x 4” (pendant)
Today, Williams’ work is recognized throughout the country, especially in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives and works as the manager at the Case Trading Post within the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. His work is colorful and frequently playful. New works feature ice cream cones, pizza, housecats and Lucky Charms cereal. Humor has a place within his life and studio.
A Blooming Beauty, beaded bag, new and vintage glass beads, moss agate, green jade, white and pink coral, brass thimbles, Austrian crystal, wool, calico, beaded tassels and brass thimbles, 6½ x 5½”
“I can and do very serious work. I recently did a large pictorial bag of a Shoshone family. But I can also do whimsical work that doesn’t have to be so serious. It’s fun to work on those unique and fresh pieces,” he says. “A lot of them are built upon little stories I have experienced. Once I was walking outside in the summer and I noticed the clouds looked like cotton candy. That was all it took to get inspired.”
Strolling Around, beaded bag, new and vintage glass beads, 24k gold electroplated beads, brass bells, brass thimbles, various vintage glass beads, vintage tile beads, brain-tanned buckskin, woo fabric, abalone star and Swarovski crystals, 5½ x 5”
One recent work features an ice cream cone, at least that’s what it might appear to be, except it holds a surprise. “It’s actually a cupcake baked inside an ice cream cone, because that how I remember them when I was younger,” Williams adds. For a piece with a cat, it originated from his own cat, which friends and family members would ask about frequently. “People would ask about the cat before anything else.”
Deliciousness, beaded bracelet, new and vintage glass beads, faceted bugle beads, 24k gold electroplated beads, faceted hessonite garnet, pearls, faceted tourmaline, faceted pink Peruvian opal and buckskin, 6¼ x 2½” with 1” opening
Beadwork is known for its rich diversity of materials, from buckskin and other base materials, to fabrics, stones, tassles, brass thimbles and, of course, beads in all cuts, sizes and colors. Williams gets supplies wherever he can find it, and notes that early on he would acquire almost all of his artwork material from relatives. “But then I found different stores, each one carrying unique things. After that it was sort of an evolution as I hunted down the best stuff. Even today when I travel, I will look for stores wherever I may be,” he says. “The key thing is to not let anything limit me as I’m exploring different dimensions of my work, including texture, color and form. I want to start incorporating gemstone beads, including pearls, sapphires, quartz, fine Italian coral, jade and others. I’ve experimented with some of these materials for many years. It’s really about exploring my own creativity and to keep the work fresh and exciting.”
Happy Quail, beaded necklace, new and vintage glass beads, coral beads, vintage shoe crystal, 24k gold electroplated beads, yarn, brain-tanned buckskin and tile beads, 32” (necklace), 5¾ x 3” (quail)
New Traditional, beaded necklace, new and vintage glass beads, faceted garnets, tile beads, Swarovski crystal, shoe crystal, dew claws, brain-tanned buckskin, amethyst beads and sterling silver clasp, 26” (necklace), 4” (pendant)
These days, between his full-time position at the Case Trading Post and his personal life, beading requires a lot of focus, which is why he tries to work on one item at a time, and certainly never more than two projects at once. “My mind will wander if I don’t,” he says, adding that his busy schedule forces him to work harder.
Lucky, beaded bracelet, 6¼ x 23⁄8” with 11⁄8” opening
Looking at the entire medium of beadwork, Williams says he’s happy to see where the artists are taking it. He points to artists such as the Growing Thunder family, Jackie Larson Bread, Teri Greeves and Jamie Okuma as artists who are creating the kind of work that makes collectors excited about the world of beads. “They all are feeding into the excitement around beadwork,” he says.See More Shiprock Santa Fe, www.shiprocksantafe.com | Instagram: @kennwilliamsjr
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