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Join us in the Art School for a special workshop with Ubuhle artists Ntombephi “Induna” Ntobela and Zandile Ntobela. Using glass beads and black cloth, workshop participants will create their own small original work inspired by the FIA exhibition Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence. Space is limited. 

The exhibition showcases a new form of textile art known as ndwango, developed by a community of women living and working together in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. 

Ubuhle means “beauty” in the Xhosa [Ho-Sa] and Zulu languages and describes the shimmering quality of light on glass, which has a particular spiritual significance for the Xhosa people. By stretching textile (ndwango) like a canvas, the artists transform the flat cloth into a contemporary art form colored with Czech glass beads. The artwork provides an emotional outlet for a community affected by HIV/AIDS and low employment, as well as a route for financial independence for the artists.

Ubhule Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence was developed by the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, Washington, DC in cooperation with Curators Bev Gibson, Ubuhle Beads, and James Green, and is organized for tour by International Arts and Artists.

Image: Zondile Zondo. My Mother's Peach Tree, 2012. Glass beads sewn onto fabric. 21 3/4 × 21 1/4 × 1 in. (55.2 × 54 × 2.5 cm). The Ubuhle Private Collection.