Conversations with Jenny Shuman-Lowe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Shuman-Lowe.

Hi Jenny, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in Rockford with my Mom, Dad, and my sister Carey. It was a lovely childhood on good ole Woodhills Drive, a dead end street back then. It was quit a typical American family during the 1980’s. After having my daughter in 1991, and still being in high school, I had a lot more time at home than most teenage girls. I always attended the Riverside Park, Three Fires Pow Wow in June and in September… At the spring Pow Wow in 1992 I split the cost with my friend, Micelle Frick, for a little wire loom. She took it home and played with it for a couple weeks, then brought it over to me. I was hooked immediately, it was very natural for me, it seemed like second nature to pass the beads onto the needle and secure them in place on the loom. That year for Christmas, my mom had my Uncle Steve make me a wooden, adjustable loom! Along with the loom, she had my Aunt Kathy fill a big pink box (which I still have to this day, along with the loom) with beads, needles, thread, beading graph paper, and beading books! This gift changed the course of my life.
I spent as much time as I could practicing beadwork… I was in my senior year of high school and had a one year old, so it wasn’t full time to say the least, but I was passionate and loved to improve. The fall of 1994, my cousin Brian and I set up a booth at Riverside Park Pow Wow… This set all the wheels in motion for the coming years.
My daughter Julia and I traveled with a food booth during Pow Wow season and were submerged into the culture of what it meant to be on “The Pow Wow Trail!” I would bead all week long to prepare for my table with inventory, while Julia danced her little heart out! We traveled as far north as Baraga and as far south as Battle Creek, filling the spring, summer and fall with selling beadwork.
During this chapter of my life, I learned vast knowledge of bead and leather work from elders and peers. Just as importantly, I learned about the Spirit and intention behind the work. I learned that prayer during the creation of a piece is inseparable from the material outcome of the work. For example: When I made the dress for my daughter’s dance outfit, I sewed 365 cones on to her skirt, and I said a prayer for every day. I still have that dress, and all of those prayers still exist. I was taught that there is no such thing as perfect, for the only perfection in this existence is God, and we are simply reflections of this beauty. That we are imperfect and that when there is a flaw in our work, this is homage to our Creator.
We traveled the Trail until it was time for Julia to begin school, and I became pregnant with my son, Gabriel. It was at this time in my craft that I was able to really expand my skill set. With a precious new baby boy in my life, and Julia in school, I was able to step away from creating inventory to make sales every weekend, and began to explore. My looms got bigger, and my designs became more sophisticated, more detailed. I began playing with the idea of doing tapestries and guitar straps. Its funny to look back at my work and see how far I have come.
In the year 2000 I was hired by Kent County DPW to be a scale house attendant, and I did this for many years. In the down time between trucks, I did copious amounts of beadwork and became all the more proficient and skillful.
In 2004 I made a guitar strap for Neil Young and had a friend who worked at the Van Andel Arena do her best to get it backstage. To this day I do not know if it ever made it to his hands. And honestly, it was so far from the work I do now, I would probably sit and have a laugh with him about the quality of both the design and the finished product!
The first time my work made it to the stage was in 2006, after having met the members of Blues Traveler. The lead guitarist, Chan Kinchla, asked me if I made straps when the subject of my beadwork was broached… I said “Yes, of course!” He then did a very rock and roll move and with great enthusiasm said, “I want it to be dark, tribal and punk, and I want it to have this on it!” He then took of his shirt and showed me the tattoo on his back. It took up the entirety of his back! I was full of ideas and couldn’t wait to begin! Chandler currently has 4 of my straps and still plays his original! I will admit, my skill level of guitar straps vastly increased by this time and Chander’s strap is strong and beautiful to this day!
I raised my kids, worked for the county and had a wonderful, West Michigan life, all the time beading when I could find the time. I still set up as often as I could at the local Riverside Park Three Fires Pow Wow, but mostly just museum exhibits.
In 2006 I met a woman named Dace Priedes at the Van Andel Museum Pow Wow. Dace was visiting from Latvia to learn about Native Americans as inspiration for her book, “Moonstar Across The Sea.” Her and I hit it off beautifully, and in 2007 she invited me to Latvia as an ambassador of the Native community to be a part of her book tour. This was an amazing experience to say the least. Latvia is a beautiful country and I learned so much about their people, traditions, culture, history and art. There is actually a wonderful Latvian community in Grand Rapids, such a small world.
In 2013 my youngest son, Miles, was born. I was conflicted about my career and being away for so much of his daily life… then the following miracle happened…
Regarding my work, the next big moment to report would be in 2017, when Oteil Burbridge of Dead and Company and formerly of Allman Brothers and Aquarium Rescue Unit, reached out to me in regards to a purse he had seen on my Instagram account, he wanted to purchase one for his wife. He shared his contact information and asked me to reach out for details. Needless to say I called immediately! In the natural course of our conversation we spoke of our lives and interests.. Then the subject of guitar straps came up, and the air in the room changed as the course of my life was altered.
Over the following weeks Oteil and I talked at great length about what was important to him regarding inspiration for the design of his strap. When it came time to present ideas, we put together the first two of his now 4 pieces! My husband Brady and I flew to Colorado in 2017 to present Oteil with the finished products. Once these guitar straps were seen on stage in front of tens of thousands of fans, my business exploded with orders!! This one moment, this one gift from God changed my life forever!
Soon other big name musicians and historic instrument collectors were contacting me for their own personal talisman! Some of these big names include: Bob Weir, Duane Betts, Derek Trucks, Michael Franti, Anders Osborn, G, Love, Amy Helm, Grahame Lesh, Rob Eaton and Jeff Mattson of Dark Star Orchestra, Erick Coomes of Lettuce, the late Neal Casal of Chris Robinson and the Brotherhood, Steve Earle, Don Was, Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke, Greg Ormont of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Eric Krasno, Ron Artis Jr, Mike Gordon of Phish, and more! I have had the privledged and honor to work with collectors to embellish historic instruments such as those played by Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, and Dickie Betts.
All of this is beyond anything I would have ever dreamed of!
In 2023 I self published “Speaking In Beads: Living Artifacts by Jenny Shuman”.. This is a story about my work, about my journey, and about the incredible life I have lived. It is a 9×12 hard cover, fully colored book: It is both poetic and informational! It covers art, music, culture and personal.
In addition to the 33 years of experience that makes my work impeccable, strong and beautiful.. it is the experience that is shared between my clients and I that make my fine art stand apart from most. You see, my work is so much more than just production, so much more than choosing from an existing inventory of designs… It is born of conversation and sharing between my clients and I, the trust and vulnerability that has to exist so that I am able to create an image that speaks for their inner voice… How a musician feels on stage is inseparable from the music that they create and which moves the audience. To represent that inner self with the images I create and the colors chosen, along with the comfort and care that goes into how it is worn, creates an experience for everyone…Both the musician and the concert goer! The pieces I make are all done by hand. To honor my Native American roots and all that I was taught at Pow Wow, I do not use illustrator for my designs, they are drawn out by hand. There is no computer program to graph them, this too is done by my hand. I do not use pre-fabricated cuts of leather for the straps, all pieces are cut from a hide to suite every piece. And I do not use a sewing machine to assemble the straps, it is all done by hand, and by MY hand alone. These pieces are as strong as they are beautiful, and will live to be artifacts 100’s of years from now.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Life is not a linear or smooth path to forge!! I wouldn’t say that having a child at the age of 16 creates for an easy coarse. But I would not change a single thing about when any of my three children were born. In fact, I wonder if I would have ever picked up a loom and beadwork had I had the “normal” life of a teenage girl. Blessings come to us in the most unexpected and interesting ways! Regardless of detours or what others might say “bumps in the road,” mine is a success story! I do not believe life is meant to be easy.. I believe that struggle makes for opportunities of courage, strength, character. As a single mother for much of my older children’s lives, money was often a challenge, but we always had the support of my wonderful mom and dad, and we always had what we needed through my hard work.
I was told once at Pow Wow that beading would never bring me fortune, glory, or even an adequate way of life…. I was not on a mission to prove that statement wrong,,, But the nature of life took control of those rings! When I considered giving attention to college studies, the miracle of Oteil finding me and making my work renowned, I believe the Divine stepped in and made sure I remained on my path!! More importantly than making a darn good living, I LOVE what I do!! Every single day I look forward to creating a beautiful piece of art. I am able to be very involved in my youngest son’s school life rather than feeling like I am pulled away for 10 hours of each day, giving him what I have left. In summary, struggles are merely part of life, and through it all, I have beadwork…

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a beadwork and leather artist. I specialize in beaded guitar straps made for stage musicians (my clients do not need to be on stage however!! I work with plenty of clients who will only be in a living room or back yard!)
I am most well known for the guitar straps I have made for Bob Weir, Oteil Burbridge, Duane Betts, and more, as well as the historic instruments of Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir.
I am most proud of my family, but this is a work question! Hahahaha!
Its hard to pinpoint which piece I am most proud of… I guess generally, I am proud of the fact that I am able to share such wonderful exchanges with these incredible musicians, and then translate that experience into images that I draw, and subsequently bring to life in the form of beadwork and guitar straps. I am proud of the fact that they trust me, that they share with me so that I can speak of their inner vision. I am proud of the fact that my work is on stage in front of thousands and thousands of people!
I think what sets me apart from my work is that as far as I know, I am the only one who is doing exactly what I do… Regarding translating a musicians story into my images, and then creating a tangible, functional piece of art out of the connections I make. And even if there are others doing what I do, my work is MY style, it comes from MY creativity and inspiration. I think it is fair to say that I am uniquely me, therefore my work is uniquely mine and apart from all others.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson,,,, WOW! Family first! Regarding work, I am still learning! With the actual execution of my craft, its to remind myself that nothing is perfect and this is part of the charm. I think a constant lesson is that there is always something more to learn! I think regarding business, I have learned that it is more than ok to say NO! To never sell myself short in order to impress someone to simply get business… The biggest fish doesn’t always taste better!

Pricing:

• guitar straps range from $1800-$5000 or more. The average piece is $2500
• My book is $40 on Beadworkbyjenny.net

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Beadworkbyjenny.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beadworkbyjenny/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Jenny-Lowe-Shuman-100088445987320/