The Bead Museum in  Glendale, Ariz. is in jeopardy of closing, following in the unfortunate footsteps of the Washington, DC, museum, which closed at the end of last year

Beads and beaded artifacts are a universal part of the human experience since the beginning of civilization, found in every culture and in every country across the globe. This Arizona museum was founded in 1984  and houses an international collection of more than 100,000 beads and beaded artifacts. Since it opened, the museum has provided community service through its school programs, monthly lectures, guided tours, beading classes, and world-renowned research library reaching more than 60,000 visitors in 2008. They are now the ONLY bead museum in the world housing this type of collection.

The museum has worked to cut expenses and the store has been a success, but like most museums, it cannot be sustained long-term solely on visitors, memberships and programs. The museum is currently conducting a $200,000 sustainability campaign to keep its doors open.

If you're in the Glendale area, consider attending the SOS event on May 28.The rest of us can make a donation on the Bead Museum Web site.