Unsolved Mysteries
Several years ago at an estate sale, bead artist Teresa Sullivan purchased a 1920s-era necklace made of jet-glass beads. The piece, in need of repair, came with an envelope that contained extra beads and a mysterious note that read: "Lenore, inside are beads from the tassel. Maybe you can fix it. This is that one of Aunt Bess's you liked. I have plenty of other jewelry of hers for the kids. I do not want Fred to know I sent it. So don't mention it... H.B." This distant request is now rooted in time in Sullivan's Don't Tell Fred (2008).
"When I reread the note," Sullivan says, "I wondered: Did Fred ever find out? Did the kids get the rest of Aunt Bess's jewelry? What other little white lies was this woman telling Fred?" Intrigued, Sullivan decided to make a new piece around the note, gradually collecting beads and other found objects. Nearly all of Sullivan's beaded jewelry, sculpture, and wall pieces tell stories. Repairing and reinventing this piece was a way for her to elaborate on a existing tale of secrecy and deceit.
Sullivan transformed the original necklace by adding narrative elements, such as a small tin clown. Bound into a cagelike form, it evokes the idea of the tarot's "holy fool" that is connected to random events. A hollow, beaded bluebird figure, perched higher up, symbolizes air and truth. At the centre, a luminous 100-year-old glass trade bead punctuates the passages of time. And the original note, carefully beaded into a protective case of clear plastic, serves as a reminder of life's eternal mysteries.
Teresa Sullivan, Don't Tell Fred (with details), 2008; glass beads, found objects; sculptural peyote stitch, beadwork; 11"x9"x2".
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