The NEXT, comprised of Maggie Horvath, Anvi Shah & Kamryn Shawron, was formed by Sam to support bead workers, users, and stitchers who are newer to the Bead Communities. Maggie Horvath creates strikingly unconventional and quirky things in Garner, NC. A Pennsylvania native Maggie received her MFA in jewelry at SCAD in 2015 and is currently an Assistant Professor and the Coordinator of the Art Department at Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC. With an eye for both fun and function Maggie’s work is sure to bring a smile. Anvi Shah is a textile artist from Pune, India whose creative playground is filled with colour and pattern. Her interest in beads as a material and the slow process of making is what drives her to explore whimsical organic textures and carefully constructed geometrical forms. By piecing together these fascinating glass orbs, she finds ways in which her structures can interact with the human body. Her love and admiration for all things handmade brought her to Kutch where she works as a designer for Shrujan, an NGO working with local craftswomen to revive and promote craft. She is currently working with a group of young beaders in Kutch. Kamryn Shawron is a multimedia maker from Ocoee, Florida. Graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in Fibers, her work focuses on the integration of portraiture, embellishment and fibers. With themes rooted in both identity and disguises, she aims to embrace all that makes us human. With an interest in the tactile nature of our surroundings her body of work is influenced by candid moments of the conversations and people around her.
