An example of the new Pastel on White

Yellow pastel on white.

We sent photo’s of the Zizamele ceramicists at work to be blown up and made into beautiful light boxes to decorate the exterior of the store. Will post pics as soon as I have some!

It was a long process planning what these ceramic fish were going t

o look like, how we would keep them from breaking and most of all, how we would install them into the lake where they would be visible.

The fish we decided to depict was the endangered Clanwilliam Yellowfish, as the purpose of the garden is to teach the community about how endangered our environment is due to human carelessness.

Lebo, a very talented freelance ceramic artist, made the first few template fish until we were happy with how it looked and then a mould was made. We had decided to make a lot of these fish in the mould and attach them to thin metal poles that would hold them above the water in the lake to appear as a school. Some would be jumping, others not, and all of them would be painted in the signature Zizamele style.

You can read a good article on the park here.

The fishies being glazed.

In the kiln waiting to be fired.

All fired and glazed!

Being welded onto their metal stands.

The final step: placing the sculpture in the lake.

Almost there!

The final product

A problem we always have with foreigners buying our stuff is that they always worry that the products will break when they fly home. What they don’t know (until we inform them) is that we export and attend trade fairs all over the world, sending stock with freight companies and taking some as carry on luggage on flights. As a result, we are very experienced in wrapping and packing the products effectively to ensure that they don’t break during travel. Of course, the odd one does break but unfortunately that will always be a possibility with ceramics…

Anyway, the Fanfest was good fun, we got to meet Ms Kimora Lee Simmons who loved our stuff but “doesn’t like bright colours.” Unfortunately we didn’t have any of our white stock on display which is a pity as she probably would have bought it all! We made a few sales of our limited edition, soccer player figurines, made and painted by our youngest potter and avid soccer fan, Songezo Mwrebi who would watch the games on TV, take note of the players looks, kit and movements they made and then recreate them in clay. They were a big hit as they are small and easily transportable.

We also had our soccer2010 range of bowls on display, those we sold mostly from the studio as wholesale products.

The majority of the crowd at the FanFest wasn’t really looking to buy anything, they had come to drink, party, be part of the vibe and of course to watch the soccer on the big screens. As a result, the people who strolled into the craft tent didn’t usually end up buying anything. However, it was a good experience for us as we felt we were a part of the Soccer World Cup and played our part in helping tourists fall in love with our beautiful country.

Last years Ambiente went well for us and we had a large order from Fairtrade, which is an organisation that sells beautiful crafts and things from developing countries. They make sure that by buying the products the workers are benefitting from the sale and not just the owners of companies.

Toni leaves for Germany on the 6th of Feb where she will visit Cologne and Frankfurt. She is taking a lot of the new POW range (click here to see it), WOW range and of course the ever popular bright, vibrant, African inspired bright range.

Here are some photo’s of last years Ambiente:

Toni and some of the other exhibitors.

SUD AFRIKA!

Unpacking and making the stand look good…

One of the helpers attaching Bambanani bowls to the stand wall.

The central stand for all the South African design products.

See you soon Ambiente!

Nik Rabinowitz opens Zizamele Ceramics first exhibition at the Art.B Gallery in Bellville

Zizamele Ceramics artists with the new Soccer 2010 range

Nik and guest at the opening

Nik with the Zizamele artists

The 12-lady White Bambanani Bowl on the exhibition

New candlesticks in white

Nik and Zizamele Ceramics artists

Nik shares a joke with Signoria Solontsi (Zizamele head of studio)

Zizamele Ceramics Artists with soccer 2010 products

Zizamele Ceramics was selected to attend the IETF in Bangalore, India in February 2009. While this show was an engineering and technology fair, South Africa wanted to show India what we have to offer in way of craft.

As usual, our ceramics were very popular and while not a lot of sales were made, we made a lot of contacts for future sales in India.

Daisy Burton (Zizamele representative) and Nelisizwe from the DTI.

African handicrafts seek Indian markets.

A small group of rural South African artisans are looking for business opportunities in India

A beautiful display of handicrafts made of ceramics, wood, clay, and bamboo adorns the stall set up by a handful of South African entrepreneurs at the India International Trade Fair in New Delhi.

Among them is Toni Burton, the woman who runs Zizamele Ceramics, one of the many small units that have changed the lives of rural, unemployed artisans by training them to make decorative pieces.

Zizamele’s handicrafts are fairly popular as corporate gifting items. The price of these goes up to Rs 22,000. Burton is now stressing heavily on the marketing of her products, having restricted herself to the home country for long. The firm bagged an order of 1,200 ceramic decorative pieces from the US recently. “Marketing is crucial in South Africa. You will find many people who make beautiful things, but it does not sell. This is because they don’t know how to sell it,” says Burton. 

The story behind Zizamele is that of development and women’s empowerment. Four years back, the South African government sponsored an 18-month course in ceramics handicrafts for the rural unemployed. This was followed by a six-month internship called the Learn and Earn Program. The products made by the rural artisans were well-liked and it made good business sense to sell them at a profit. “I decided to register my company, and the same people have been with me for four years now,” Burton adds.

For entrepreneur Ramadimetja E. Labese, what started as a hobby to make clay models such as jewelry, neck pieces, and bracelets is now a business under the name of Mmupi and Clay General Trade. She founded the firm in 2003 with five people who came from rural areas. Recently she launched a new range in bathroom and kitchenware. She is now looking to supply to big shops and export houses worldwide.

Then there is Zwathu Art and Craft Centre, established in 1996, which exhibits the creations of 41 people from the Venda region in South Africa. Their products include pots, beaded handbags, and tablecloths ranging from Rs. 300 to 7,000.

The secret of quality
The quality and finish of these South African handicrafts is commendable. According to Khathu Tshirhidzo of Zwathu Art and Craft Centre, “We spend considerable time making each product.” Burton believes it is the combination of her Western education with traditional African designs that paves way for innovative designs that ultimately sell. According to her, “We have not just stuck ourselves to traditional craft, we have moved further. But, the African vibrancy is still reflected in our work.”

Tshirhidzo talks at length about pot making, and highlights the importance of burnishing and finishing. She says, “The more you burnish the pot, the more the shine. After burnishing, it will look more glossy. Sometimes, people go for two to three minutes of burnishing, not giving it enough time. And that is where our secret lies, we burnish it a lot. After that we also give emphasis on finishing. We make sure that the end product is extremely neat.”

“I don’t think we can ever be a factory; with the kind of work we do, we will always be a studio. Every single piece we produce is unique, even the animals. What we make is almost an art piece,” says Burton.

To read the complete article, please follow the included link:
http://www.dare.co.in/people/street-business/african-handicrafts-seek-indian-markets.htm