The Beaded Prayers Project, created and curated by Sonya Clark, is a worldwide art project aimed at connecting people through a common goal -- beaded art. In 1999, Sonya began developing the project while teaching at the University of Wisconsin. She envisioned giving it a five-year run, using it as a way of extending herself and her art into the community while connecting people together through creating meaningful art that belonged to everyone.

Through a visual presentation, Sonya taught participants about the significance of amulets and beadwork traditions in various cultures throughout the world. Even though her focus was on African culture, she showed participants how the beauty of cultural traditions around world could be adapted to become authentic art for each individual. In the hands-on portion of her workshops, she also taught participants a few simple beading techniques that could be used for making their beaded prayers.

Sonya based the name of her project on the fact that the English word ''biddan,'' meaning to ask or to pray, is also the root word for bead, so she combined the two meanings together to call the project Beaded Prayers. The traveling Beaded Prayers exhibit is known as Beaded Blessings. At first, Sonya prepared a simple guideline sheet and solicited beaded packets, but after an overwhelming response, she narrowed her gathering to workshop participant submissions.

This sort of viral community art is common, as seen in other community-wide projects such as the AIDS quilt blocks that grew to an astounding 10,000 blocks weighting over thirteen tons or the Bead It Forward seed beaded quilts for breast cancer made from over 370 donated beaded squares that helped raise over $20,000 in 2007 to support awareness and research for a cure.

Making a beaded prayer is a deeply moving journey for each person that chooses to make one, as they reflect and focus on their deepest dream or desire in the safety of anonymity and secrecy. Sonya believes that the act of meditating on your dreams, writing them down on paper, folding it, wrapping it in fabric and then sewing it shut with a determined application of beads will help to transform the hidden dream into a manifestation of self-fulfilling prophecy.



The secrecy of the beaded prayers was inspired by the West African belief that when something is just beyond the known it becomes more sacred, personally meaningful and powerful. No one who sees the exhibited prayers can tell what is written inside each packet, but it is apparent that each one is special because it has been created in such a deliberate and special way.

Beaded Prayer participants come from all over the world and range in age from six to 90 years. Beaded prayers have been made to celebrate a birth, mourn the death of a loved one and express hidden feelings. The variations in size, shape, color and beading technique used to shape each packet helps to create a sense of genuine individuality within the collective display.

There have even been wildly different variations that were formed from tree bark and solid blown glass. Looking at the rows and rows of colorful, beaded fabric packets lining the wall of the traveling exhibit is overwhelming as you feel the emotion and tradition of the ritual that went into creating each packet that meant so much to the individual who made it.

Walking along the wall, one simple pink packet of striped fabric catches the eye. Edged with haphazardly applied beads and sealed with one large flower bead in the center, you pause and wonder about the age and dream of the anonymous maker, however the secrecy and anonymity is the magic of the Beaded Prayers Project.

While Sonya isn't collecting any more beaded dreams for the Beaded Blessings traveling exhibit, this project continues to grow within small communities across the globe. In fact, Sonya encourages everyone to keep crafting beaded prayers and displaying them as a testimony to individuality and hope within their own intimate community. For more information on the Beaded Prayers Project, visit the Beaded Prayers website at: www.beadedprayersproject.com

These special tokens can be made by individuals or by groups. A most wonderful thing happens when a group comes together to share in this experience. Each participant inevitably ends up sharing stories, experiences and ideas while working on their individual task. This sharing is a part of the connection people enjoy while working, and it is the sharing that contributes to the collective wisdom and adds to the sense of belonging within the community, making it a richer and more connected society.

Suggested instructions for making your own beaded prayer:

Materials List

• 1 piece of 8x8-inch fabric
• Your choice of seed, metal, glass, gemstone or bone beads
• Thread and beading needle card
• Scissors
• 1-3x5 index card

Step 1: To begin, write down a wish, dream, blessing or hope onto one side of a 3x5-index card. Then fold the paper down until it is smaller than the size of your palm.

Step 2: Next, take the folded piece of paper and enfold it within your 8x8-inch piece of fabric. A few popular fold techniques include envelope folds, sachet tufts, taffy rolls and burrito folds. Once your paper is folded within the fabric, seal it shut by securely sewing at least one bead to the surface of the fabric with your beading needle and thread.

Step 3: Decorate the edges and one side of the packet with any beading technique you choose. Since the packets are usually hung flat against a wall, you only have to bead on the side that will be visible.

Many people choose to make two prayer packets with the same prayer message inside each one so that they have one to hang in a group display and one to keep secreted away for them.

Additional Resources and Materials

• Click here for a list of stitching and wire-working techniques