“Celebrating humanity through art, object and material culture.”

Our Creative History…

Modern humans, our closest relative on the evolutionary timeline, have only been around some 300,000 years… it was here that the first roots of art were born. It’s form was simple, a small object with one defining characteristic -a perforation (a hole), a bead. The bead is considered our first form of abstract thinking… when worn, it defined our self awareness & encouraged us to say “I am!”

For almost half of our existence, 150,000 years, the human species has been the only living creature to make and use beads. Beads have helped define the human experience.

Over the years our ancestors have expressed themselves in endless ways -and that’s something to celebrate! At the Lost Foundation, we want to start at the beginning…

Invest in the future, preserve the past…

It starts with stewardship…

Our goal is to secure, conserve and preserve this valuable treasure and make it available to all people as a source of inspiration and an intimate window into our past. This resource will be available as an educational tool and would help nurture a sense of place within the human timeline, creating artifactual equity for generations to come.

Through our Artifact-Trust, we work to safeguard thousands of these rare and unique artifacts & ensure their accessibility into the future. Each donation helps sponsor and secure this growing and treasured collection.

We have worked and collaborated with many museums, researchers, collectors, artists and institutions over the years to share, archive and entrust these elements for the generations to come.

Contribute

The Lost Foundation is a Vermont Non-profit research and learning center that stewards a vast collection of beads and artifacts - thousands of objects made by and for humans from cultures around the world.

 Contact us.

 

  • brian@lostfdn.org

    (802) 275-2099

  • 115 Main Street
    Brattleboro, VT 05301
    (802) 257-5114

  • We maintain an educational center and steward a vast collection of beads and artifacts. Our research center is open to the public and contains museum quality artifacts and a library.

    Saturday 12-4 PM

    First Friday’s 6-9 PM during gallery walk

    Or by appointment