Brazee Street Studios looking for artists to join Mini Bead Marathon and Art Supply Swap April 23

Brazee Street Studios will host its first-ever Mini Bead Marathon April 23 to back Beads of Courage, a national arts-in-medicine program that supports children coping with serious medical issues.
 
Artists gather at Brazee every September for National Bead Challenge Day, when they create glasswork that enables children to record and share their own stories of hope through jewelry creation. The Oakley-based studio is extending its support for Beads of Courage, however, by asking skilled volunteers to stop by for a two-hour shift April 23 to utilize their talents for good.
 
Volunteers will work specifically on birthday beads, beads for the upcoming holidays, transportation beads and dream beads.
 
“These beads are tangible signs of hope and progress for the kids who receive them,” says Chelsea Borgman, Brazee’s gallery coordinator. “They show the kids, their families and the world just how much they’ve overcome.”
 
The event runs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Food and non-glass bead making activities will be provided by Brazee, which is also supplying glass artists with free torch time and, of course, glass.
 
In addition to creating beads, the new Beads of Courage Volunteers Superstars program will be introduced. The goal is to foster skill building and community not only among bead makers in the studio but also between bead makers and bead recipients.
 
“We’re proud to work with Beads of Courage each year to brighten the days of brave children undergoing difficult medical treatments,” Borgman says.
 
In conjunction with the Mini Bead Marathon, Brazee will also host its fifth annual Art Supply Swap, in which creatives can drop off unwanted supplies in exchange for useable materials. Drop-off begins at 9:30 a.m., and leftover supplies will be donated to Indigo Hippo, which makes art more accessible to children and other local artists in need of added support when it comes to obtaining supplies.

Do Good: 

• If you're a skilled glassworker, contact Brazee Street Studios to volunteer at the Mini Bead Marathon April 23.

• Even if you're not a glassworker yourself, the event is family-friendly. Stop by between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to join in festivities and watch the artists in action. 

• Bring any unneeded art supplies to swap out for materials that may be of use to you. Drop-offs begin at 9:30 a.m.