An upcoming presentation at the Watkins Museum of History will highlight beadwork’s cultural significance and enduring tradition within the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.
The presentation is scheduled for 7 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 10 at the museum, 1047 Massachusetts St.
Tara Mitchell, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, is the deputy tribal historic preservation officer for her tribe and a professional bead artist with more than 25 years of experience. She will lead a discussion and demonstration.
“I’ve been beading since I was 6 years old, and I learned through the Title VI program,” Mitchell said. Title VI programs are federally funded education programs that support Native students’ academic and cultural learning.
“From there, I just kept challenging myself and learned from my mom as well as other beadwork artists in the community,” she said.
Community members will have the opportunity to learn how beadwork carries historical knowledge and personal narratives across generations, offering insight into the living traditions of the tribe.
Mitchell will talk about the challenges tribes have overcome to keep their cultures alive and hopes attendees gain a better understanding of Native communities and feel inspired to create.
The event is part of “Kansas Folklife: Celebrating Kansas Traditions,” a program within the national “By the People: Conversations Beyond 250” initiative led by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and it is also included in the Watkins Museum’s America at 250 series.
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Courtney Lane (she/her), reporting correspondent, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. Originally from Arkansas, she’s a graduate of KU’s Journalism school, where she worked as a reporter, opinion section editor, and eventually editor-in-chief for The Kansan.
Read her work for the Times at this link, and see her photography for the Times at this link.
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