Beadwork And The Art Of Independence

Went with a friend to see this exhibit at the Currier Museum today.  It was several wall hangings of beadwork (detail in Extra).  They come from a collective community of women in rural South Africa on a farm where they live and work.  Many of them are single mothers as they have lost their husbands to AIDS or other diseases. The  Ubuhle (pronounced Uh-Buk-lay) women make these on black stretchy fabric with Czech glass beads using skills passed down for generations and "directly from the soul".  As far as I could tell, they did this "free hand".  No patterns drawn on the fabric. Some were soft, muted colors and others bright vibrant ones.  Many included images of cows as the cows symbolize wealth to them.   They are able to earn a living selling them and actually some of this work is part of the Smithsonian Institution which also helps fund their efforts.  
Pretty amazing to see and imagine what it means to them.