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.
I will be out of the country for about six weeks, from May 1st to June 17th, and so will not be shipping orders or open for visitors at the gallery after April 27. The Indigo Arts website will be active as always. Because I will be traveling in a remote area I will not have email or phone access for most of the time. I will respond to messages as soon as possible. I will be able to process and ship orders after June 17th, 2026. Thank you for your patience.
Namaste!
