Bead Town!!

Bead Town is the brainchild of Stephan Wagner from Germany.

Wagner came to Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the area. He found a job in the much-needed construction activity. It was during this time that he fell in love with the area and her strong people.

"I remember thinking that it was right after Katrina-with 50% of the region destroyed and the other 50% helping those whose homes were destroyed, that was quite a challenge" he said. "So I moved on from construction and started putting beads together to capture the iconic images that make Louisiana so special: the food, the culture, the architecture....I was on a mission".

His mission has created so many beautiful things made with used Mardi Gras beads. Pictures are created by artists and Stephan - along with anyone willing to help - use the beads to create his magic.



The beads are applied to the pictures one at a time. Bead Town will be open to the public in Slidell through April 5th. From there the collection will travel to Denham Springs and many other Louisiana Main Street communities, each of which has a story to tell as part of the bigger city. In each city additional works have been or will be created which tells the community's tale.