MEET THE ARTISANS
Care Studios works alongside exceptional artisans from South Africa and Zimbabwe, whose intricate generational techniques, have defined landmark contemporary art installations, from Ralph Ziman’s iconic Casspir Project to the celebrated MIG-21 Project. Together, Anointed Hands and Afrika-47 form the creative backbone of our collections.
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Thenjiwe Pretty Nkogatsi leads Anointed Hands, a collective of Ndebele women renowned for their precision beadwork and bold geometric patterns. Rooted in Mpumalanga Province, their craft reflects generations of cultural artistry passed down through mothers, grandmothers, and elders, each piece carrying symbolic colors and traditional storytelling.
Beyond her own artistry, Thenjiwe serves as the lead communicator and coordinator for the Anointed Hands group. She ensures consistency in patterns, quality, and colorwork, and manages artisan workflow with remarkable care and professionalism.
Along with her major contribution to Ralph Ziman’s Casspir and MIG-21 project. Her experience includes collaborations with major global brands such as Nike and David Tlale, as well as teaching workshops throughout Africa and Europe.
Her leadership keeps the Ndebele beading tradition alive while bringing it to contemporary audiences worldwide.
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Afrika-47, managed by Bowasi, emerged from a remarkable story of artistic collaboration. Artist Ralph Ziman hand-selected some of the most skilled wire sculptors working on the streets of Johannesburg, talented makers known for their technical intuition and sculptural engineering.
He brought these artisans together to create large-scale wire-and-bead AK-47 sculptures for his early project The AK-47 Project. The group adapted it’s its name from that formative work and has evolved into a highly specialized team now known for their structural builds, dimensional beadwork, and continue to contribute to Ziman’s internationally recognized installations.
Today, Bowasi oversees the team of six Zimbabwean artisans and serves as our primary communicator for complex builds and custom requests.
OUR PARTNERS
We work with other non-for-profit museum gift shops, and galleries who value:
artisan-made products
traceable sourcing
purpose-driven storytelling
unique, display-ready merchandise
If that’s your store, we’d love to partner with you!
Check your eligibility now.
TESTIMONIALS
“When our museum collaborated with Ralph Ziman to bring The MiG Project to Seattle, Care Studios was our partner in bringing in beautiful beaded jewelry and sculpture on consignment to support the exhibit. They made it possible for us to introduce our customers to amazing handmade products from the other side of the world. Their quick and thorough communication with us made the ordering process easy, and their passion for supporting the artisans in South Africa is an inspiration. Their support of youth programs and microfinance for small businesses gave me confidence that their values aligned with ours.”
-Mary Christensen, Retail General Manager, Museum of Flight Gift Shop
The seed for this work was planted when Marco Gruelle, founder of DTCare, met Ralph Ziman through logistics support for transporting The Casspir installation across the United States. Working closely with the artists, makers, and families behind the sculptural build, Marco and Ralph recognized a powerful opportunity: pair world-class craftsmanship with real economic engines.
From that point forward, the vision expanded, supporting not only the artisans whose talent shaped these monumental artworks, but the next generation around them. We refer to them as the “MIG-kids”, the children of the artisans behind Ziman’s MIG-21 and Casspir projects, who now represent the next wave of computer scientists, lawyers, community leaders, and entrepreneurs.
When the MIG-21 installation debuted, a small selection of artisan-made pieces appeared in the museum gift shop, and the response made something clear: these works had real fundraising power for the program.
From this synergy, Care Studios emerged organically: a design-led, socially rooted venture that brings heritage beadwork and wire sculpture into modern retail, while fueling a cycle of craft and opportunity across the communities that shaped these works.
