Kristina Skillin knows how hard it is to break into the world of art.

As director of the Museum of Beadwork in Portland, she’s a metalsmith and archaeologist interested in giving others a leg up.

That’s why she started the Emerging Beader Program called “Starting from Here,” which is now accepting submissions from beaders with less than three years of experience.

“As an artist when I first left undergrad, I couldn’t get into museums and galleries because I’d never been in museums and galleries,” she said. “It’s this really irritating Catch-22 that everyone’s frustrated with. Now that I have a museum, I can give these opportunities to people.”

Throughout history, beads have been used as currency or tools, but the museum’s focus is on sculpture created using beads. Some of the oldest beads found are 130,000 years old — before modern humans.

Skillin’s curiosity drove her to study the use of beads by cultures around the world.

“Why as a species did we decide to adorn ourselves, what does it mean?” she said. “It’s something all cultures we know about do.”

The museum recently featured an exhibit called “Wings & Stings” with beaded artwork depicting insects. Colorful beaded stars hang from the ceiling near the entrance. There’s also a beautiful gown on loan from New Jersey artist Jan Huling.

And the backwall of the museum is covered in 541 individual 6X6 inch beaded squares featuring the work of 400 artists from 18 countries. Although the museum had yet to open, they wanted to launch a project to bring people together — each working remotely in their own space — to reflect the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It highlights the shared experiences of isolation, quarantine, and the many societal changes that occurred from March 2020 to March 2021,” according to the exhibit description. “Eleven squares are left empty in honor of those we lost during the pandemic.”

The museum, which is on Forest Avenue, opened in August 2023 after years of planning that included some hiccups because of the pandemic.

“The day our Kickstarter launched was the day the state of Maine went into lockdown,” Skillin said. “It was just like the worst perfect timing.”

They did get funding from donors, but construction related pandemic delays meant difficulty finding contractors to do the work required to meet city codes.

“It was a process and it was a struggle but we’re here now and it’s been amazing,” she said.

The museum co-founder, Heather Kahn, is owner of Caravan Beads, which is in an adjoining building. Kahn got the idea to start the museum after a visit to Seattle, Skillin said.

The museum is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Skillin is hoping to attract a wide variety of visitors, from those who are “diehard beaders” to those who are art enthusiasts who want to learn more about the ancient art form.

Regardless of what brings them in, they all leave with a newfound appreciation for the skill and artistry behind the works.

“That’s what we want to show people, is that beadwork is not those weird earrings you found in your grandmother’s jewelry box or those monstrosities from the 80s that we all really do love,” Skillin said. “It’s not that. There’s a lot of detail. There’s a lot of forethought. There’s a lot of artistry.”

The Emerging Beader Program is open to anyone worldwide.

The call for submissions began May 1 and runs through Aug. 15.

“The beginning of anybody’s career is really interesting,” Skillin said. “It would be really interesting to see the childhood paintings of Picasso. The beginning of a career is just as important as the end of the career.”