Visitors to the Eufaula Memorial Library on Friday, September 19, will have the rare chance to see “beadtelling” in action—an art form that blends Cherokee tradition with contemporary storytelling.
Cherokee artists Jennifer Saenz and her mother, Vicky Watson, will share how they create portraits from thousands of tiny glass beads, each one stitched to honor both history and heritage. Their newest series features the Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes: Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, and Creek (Muscogee).
The pair will explain their process, display completed portraits, and discuss how beading has become a way to preserve Native and Freedmen history. Every item will be displayed from their exhibit, Threads of Untold History, which recently received top honors at the Cherokee Homecoming 2025 Art Show.
The free program, hosted by the Friends of the Library, begins at 1 p.m. in the Follansbee Room, 301 S. 1st Street. Light refreshments will be available.
The Friends meet regularly at 1 p.m. on the third Friday of every month. Their goal is to encourage appreciation, understanding, and enjoyment of the library’s educational facilities and to enhance the cultural landscape of the community.
Anyone desiring the same is invited to join the Friends for $5 yearly dues. Membership forms, available beside a box at the library’s check-out desk, can be filled in a deposited with a check or cash in the box. Members receive email notice of all upcoming Friends’ events.
