Chelsea Rieu-Torrez presents “The Secret Life of Venetian Beads...”

Chelsea Rieu-Torrez presents her paper “The Secret Life of Venetian Beads: An Observation of Craft, Trade, and Authorship of African Trade Beads” at the 5th annual Undergraduate Art History Symposium on April 17, 2021. The annual Symposium event is hosted by the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art in collaboration with Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri. Rieu-Torrez is the Collections Assistant at the Denver Art Museum and a 2020 graduate of University of Colorado Denver.
Abstract: This examination of the Venetian glass bead trade not only explores the highly restrictive production and gendered labor laws enforced by the Venetian Republic but also investigates Venetian glass beads as the first internationally accepted form of currency. The innovative glass compositions from decorative tableware and personal adornment appealed to a dynamic market-one that was able to adapt to varying aesthetics due to the availability of materials and accessibility to the global trade route. As a result, trade beads flooded the market and staged European colonialism, which effectively altered the aesthetic and visual communication among indigenous tribes.
About AKMA: A work of art itself, the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art houses one of the finest collections of American Art from the Colonial period to the present. The former William Albrecht home provides the perfect backdrop for works by artist including Mary Cassatt, Thomas Hart Benton, Gilbert Stuart and Jaune Quick-To-See Smith. A wide variety of special programs complement the museum’s collection, including temporary exhibitions, art classes, gallery talks, and special events. More information can be found at Albrecht-Kemper.org