A few months ago, Bead&Button Editor Ann Dee Allen blogged about the efforts to help The Bead Museum in Glendale, Ariz., keep its doors open despite distressing economic times. The Bead Museum is the last of its kind in the world after the bead museum in Washington D.C. was forced to close earlier this year.

Today, I’m happy to report that The Bead Museum is still here! In fact, it recently opened a new exhibit, From Caves to Castles: If Beads Could Talk, that explores beads as old as 2 million years old and as recent as the end of the Islamic Period in 1400 AD. The goal is to understand how beads tell the story of human culture, especially how they illustrate important turning points in history. To see photos from the exhibit, check out The Bead Museum’s Facebook album (you don’t need to be a member of Facebook to view the photos).

Keep supporting The Bead Museum by booking a visit this winter. Not planning on traveling in the near future? Check out 20 Ways to Love The Bead Museum. I was amazed at what we can do to help without leaving home!