These wonderful beaded animals and dolls are created by enterprising women living in the townships surrounding Capetown, South Africa. The work has come to us from a project to employ and empower women in the townships of Mandela Park, Khayalitsha and Phillipi. The MonkeyBiz Project provides each woman with the glass beads and pays cash for each doll or bag she produces. The 320 women and men currently participating in the project are producing a variety of one-of-a-kind dolls and bags. In designing and creating these artworks, the women draw on and renew the rich artistic traditions of their several ethnic groups - Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele, Sotho and others. In thse works the bead artists of the Cape townships are creating a new, often humorous and sometimes quite startling synthesis of folk traditions.
Over the last year the Indigo Arts website has remained active despite the widespread shutdowns due to the COVID-19 virus. Under current rules I have been able to resume operations but must limit visitors to the gallery, by appointment only. I am able to pack and ship most orders within a few days. Shipping times have increased during this period.
Note: USPS has been so slow that we recommend avoiding it entirely, at least for the present. Parcels sent by 2 or 3 Day Priority Mail may take 2 to 4 weeks to arrive.
Please stay safe in these difficult times.
We wish you all a healthier, saner and more civil 2021.
