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Mona Castle
The daughter of an itinerant poet, Mona Castle was
born in 1970 at a hippie house party in Glenwood, Oregon, between
Eugene and Springfield, with a midwife in attendance. "My dad read his
poetry all over the U.S.," she notes. "We traveled in a van. I went to
20 schools between elementary and high school." Castle began working
with beads at age 14 at September School, an artsy alternative high
school in Boulder, Colorado. After graduation in 1988, she moved to
Eugene. She went to beauty school, served an apprenticeship, and took
courses at LCC and the UO. In 1994, she started work at Harlequin
Beads, teaching classes and repairing jewelry. "I became an expert,"
she says. "The best way to learn to make jewelry is repairing it." She
became retail floor manager and worked at Harlequin for 22 years, until
the downtown store closed its doors. Before Harlequin reopened in a new
location, Castle launched Mona Beads at 1712 Willamette Street in
October of 2016, with the aid of an inheritance from her grandfather.
Two years later, despite no paid employees, Mona Beads has become a
community hub for folks who love beadwork, with a staff of
knowledgeable volunteers, tables and walls covered with beads and
jewelry, 40 consignment artists, and a buzz of activity. "Chatty hands,
quiet mind," is Castle's catchphrase for the calming influence inherent
in beadwork. "Beadwork and autism go well together." She donates
materials to the Jewelry Expression Program sponsored by
KindTree-Autism Rocks at the Ebbert Memorial Church in Springfield. On
Saturday, February 9, 11am-6pm, Mona Beads will hold a Valentines Day
Sweetheart Sale: bracelets, necklaces, and earrings, handmade by women
with developmental disabilities. All proceeds will go directly to the
individual artists.
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happening peoplephotograph and story by Paul Neevel Eugene Weekly / 31 January 2019 |
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