I love finding art in the most unexpected places. When I was on my tour of newly remodeled downtown LA, my friend Sandeep took me into his local grocery store, Urban Radish. It’s what I imagine Whole Foods was like when it was just a new concept store. Everything looks interesting because there are no big name products & everything looks fun & artsy & it’s organized with the impeccable aesthetic of the Barney’s shoe department. Sandeep suddenly notices this shelf of tea that were just gorgeous & we instantly went into a rave art critique of the exquisite boxes. We were in awe. They are handcrafted & each one is unique with images of giraffes, boating, bicycling through the village, collecting coconuts, etc. It’s called Ajiri Tea & the boxes are made by the women of the Kisii community of Kenya. The company empowers the local women by giving them jobs in the creation & design of this tea & its packaging. These artisans blow away some of the people I went to art school with. The designs are images of everyday life in this little African community and are made from banana tree bark. Proceeds go back into the community by the hiring of the local women and education of orphans. I have my box of tea on display in my kitchen. I spent $9 and got a great piece of art (& great tea too). You can buy online: ck the link below.
You Get A Star 