September 2022 Bead of the Month: The Cyan Star Bead reminds you to wish upon a star and believe in your dreams!

Artist Statement: This "September Cyan Star" was inspired by the poem "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." It is the first bright, twinkling, cyan star in the night. Full of wishes, dreams and magic.

Artist Bio: Maria Schoenenberger started making glass beads in 2003 and was one of the first bead artists to donate to Beads of Courage to support our pilot flagship program at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. She has owned her own studio, taught numerous classes, published articles in magazines, and has been featured in galleries. Maria started her YouTube career in April 2019 and currently has over 300 video tutorials for both lampwork glass beads and polymer clay beads. Maria says, "I love teaching and I love glass beads. I hope that by continuously providing education, I can bring new artists into the industry and share the beauty and joy of this wonderful art form."

Maria Schoenenberger lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with "The Best Husband Ever" and 4 fur babies. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Manufacturing Engineering and Systems Design and a Master of Science degree in Reliability Engineering and Quality Assurance. Maria says, "First I learned how to build things, then I learned how to tear them apart to see how to make them better. Even though science and technology were very good to me, there was always an artist trying to bust through all the geekiness."