Happy Tuesday, friends! Did you do anything exciting over the weekend? On Saturday, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and did a little family shopping. We were shopping for home decor and Mother’s Day gifts for my mom and sister.

I also wanted to find a unique gift for my mom so we went to Dabls MBAD African Bead Museum in Detroit. Located on the corner of Grand River and West Grand Blvd., the African Bead Museum features beautiful beads for jewelry making and African jewelry you can wear. I couldn’t resist and ended up buying a necklace for myself. Happy early Mother’s Day to me!

This is the necklace I bought at the African Bead Museum.

Dabls MBAD African Bead Museum is owned by Olayami Dabls, a visual storyteller who has been creating art for more than 45 years. You can read more about Mr. Dabls here.

After our visit to the bead museum, we took a walk through the outdoor cultural art and sculpture gallery. It’s also located next to the bead museum. According to the official website of the African Bead Museum, the museum features 18 outdoor installations as well as the African Bead Gallery, N’kisi House and African Language Wall.

Zhen loved exploring the bead museum.
If you bring your little ones to the African Bead Museum, make sure you remind them to see with their eyes and not their hands. There’s so much to see at the bead museum that I had to keep an eye on my little ones to keep their hands off of the art and jewelry.
Michala loved the jewelry, too.
Beautiful beaded jewelry is sold at the bead museum.

It is truly a marvelous experience. I ended up taking a great number of photographs of the art. I am going to share my photographs of the outdoor art installations in a separate post.

There was so much to take in that we didn’t finish viewing the gallery because it was starting to get dark outside. I plan on going back to the African Bead Museum to finish my tour and learn more about Mr. Dabls’ artwork.

Dabls MBAD African Bead Museum
Dabal’s African Bead Gallery is located on the corner of Grand River and West Grand Blvd. in Detroit, MI.
Travis and Zephaniah looking at the different necklaces.
African art is also featured at the bead museum. I have a few African art pieces in my home so I would love to add some new pieces to my collection.
So many beautiful choices to choose from!

Also, check out the Detroit African World Festival Celebrates Culture and Heritage and Highlights from the Beautifully Wrapped Headwrap Expo.

Written by

Jennifer Hamra

Freelance creative Jennifer Hamra created her blog Good Life Detroit in 2015 after relocating from Tennessee to Southeast Michigan.

Inspired by her love for personal blogging and photography, Jennifer likes to share her favorite Detroit things, from cool places to visit (the hidden gems are her favorite!) to the amazing people she has connected with over the years.

When she's not busy juggling family life and her creative projects, you can find her at an art gallery, community event, farmers market, or spending quiet time at home with a good book and cup of tea.

Jennifer lives in the metro Detroit area with her husband Travis and their six children.

Connect with Jennifer on social media @goodlifedetroit on all social media platforms or via email at [email protected].