Stewart Wilburn is master beadworker and a Wailaki/Tolowa/Pomo/Wintu artist. We adopted one another several years back, and have traveled together around Northern California attending tribal gatherings.

This semester my San Jose State University students produced a book for and about Stewart:  a collection of his artwork, quotes, photos, and an interview one of the students drove eight hours to complete. You can order a copy of the book here.

Stewart is not a man of many words: when he speaks, because he speaks from the heart, his words carry weight. His beadwork is known for its tremendous precision and beauty. People seeing it for the first time are known to widen their eyes, stop still in their tracks, and hold their breath.

The book is both an act of research and an act of love.

I am so very, very proud of these students, and thrilled to finally have the “perfect” gift for someone who has given of himself to hundreds of people lucky enough to own one of his cherished works of art.