Mara Colecchia (Maracole Bijoux): Photostories in Beads
Speaker: Mara Colecchia (Maracole Bijoux)
Presentation:
Join Mara Colecchia (Maracole Bijoux) for Photostories in Beads
Maracole Bijoux is a wearable art brand born from the vivid imagination of multidisciplinary Italian artist, Maracole, blending the worlds of pop surrealism, animation and seed beads.
Based in Los Angeles, the Italian artist channels a love for pop art, vintage cartoons, and whimsical storytelling into vibrant, collectible jewelry pieces.
Driven by a deep respect for sustainability and artistic integrity, Maracole Bijoux champions slow fashion through limited-edition collections, hand-assembled in a studio where no detail is overlooked.
Every piece is a miniature sculpture you can wear and it’s made to last.
With a bold aesthetic and a singular voice, Maracole Bijoux exists at the crossroads of fine craft and fantastical design, inviting those who wear it to express themselves unapologetically.
Each design is a meticulous creation — a labor of love that transforms ethically sourced glass beads and repurposed vintage materials, like acrylic and lucite, into ornaments that are lightweight, comfortable and full of personality.
Speaker Bio:
Born and raised in Urbino, a Renaissance art town in mid-northern Italy, Mara graduated from La Scuola Del Libro (the book school) as an illustrator, and successively from IED (European Institute of Design) in Rome, as an animator and game designer.
She worked in the animation industry in Rome till late 2008, when she relocated to California, to pursue a broader career in children’s entertainment.
There Mara was exposed to a different type of art, pop surrealism, that resonated with her avocation and personal taste, so began exhibiting her work (illustrations and dioramic installation with figurines and written stories), at pop art galleries in the greater Los Angeles area, such as The Hive Gallery&Studios and La Luz De Jesus. Mara became an active member of the Los Angeles Art Association, in Jan 2013 and was included in many collective exhibitions in West Hollywood.
She started experimenting with textiles and seed beads in 2018 and a year later Maracole Bijoux was born, a line of beaded jewelry that is now Mara’s main artistic endeavour.
Mara exhibited her beaded jewelry internationally at Jewelry Shows such as Contemporania Barcelona, Joya and Artistar Jewels. In the USA she was part of the Smithsonian’s Craft Show in 2024 and 2025.
She teaches workshops in accredited art centers such as The Armory Art Center in FL, The Baltimore Jewelry Center, and Craft in America, in LA. She taught a workshop and The Museum of Beadwork in Portland, MA, in June 2025 and showcased her work there as well. One of her necklaces is in the permanent collection at the museum.
In 2023 Mara was a resident at the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum in Athens, and she keeps collaborating with the museum, taking part in collective exhibits, such as the ILJM Biennale.
She is also scheduled for a residency at The Baltimore Jewelry Center in May 2027.
Mara is teaching ZOOM classes all year around with Creative Castle.
DATE: Tuesday, May 19 , 2026, 6:45-8:30pm via zoom Meeting, the meeting will open at 6:45 and the presentation will begin promptly at 7pm.
COST: Free to members; $5.00 for non-members or purchase an annual membership for $25.
Payment for Non-Members ($5.00):
To prepare, please go to https://zoom.us/ and follow the directions to access Zoom®. Sadly, BSNC can not provide tech support.
Please RSVP to judysinclair@beadsocietyofnorcal.org. She will send out the Zoom meeting information prior to each class/speaker event and follow up with a reminder email. Spaces are limited, so please RSVP early.