Zen Designs: Handmade African baskets, art with a mission to support artisans at home

Zen Designs has a unique mission: weaving baskets and creating art to support artisans in Kenya and Uganda.

Founder Ruth Kaiser was born in Kenya and has lived in Sioux Falls for almost 10 years.

“The beginning of Zen Designs is very interesting,” Kaiser said. “During COVID, we all were home working remotely, and I asked myself ‘What do you do when you have 24 hours at home?'”

Kaiser said her family would move the kitchen table out of the way and paint and do crafts on the kitchen floor throughout the pandemic.

“My friends and I would share what we’d do for crafting sometimes,” Kaiser said. “I showed a friend what I was doing with the vases, and she told me ‘you should start selling this!'”

In February 2023, Kaiser had her first customer — a friend. “After that, I realized I needed to get these in a place that they could be sold.”

Zen Designs offers a variety of items such as beadwork, woven items and vases. Kaiser works with artisans in both Kenya and Uganda to support single mothers, families, and refugees.

“I take lilies out of the yard and weave baskets,” Kaiser said. “But there are only so many baskets I can weave myself, so working with fair-trade organizations works well.”

In the beginning, Kaiser worked with various local vendors to sell Zen Designs work. Now, goods can be found at Mulberry Market in The Empire Mall, on Zen Designs’ website, Amazon and at Makers Exchange in Tea. Zen Designs also recently opened an online Etsy store.

“All baskets are custom made,” Kaiser said. “I work with the artisans directly, and it is very rewarding work. Young women would otherwise have to support themselves in tricky ways.”

Zen Designs works with the artisans to co-design patterns, colors and other aspects of the work.

“This job provides consistent income and helps families take care of their kids,” Kaiser said. “Every penny that we sell goes back to getting more of the items and adding more artisans to the job. This work helps keep young people off the street and gives them legitimate jobs.”

Kaiser further explained that supporting African artisans allows both individuals and families to work on their art from home and watch their children.

“It’s nearly impossible to find day care there,” Kaiser said. “These women now have the opportunity to weave while taking care of their children.”

Basket collages brings another unique element to Zen Designs. Kaiser’s husband does many installations with the baskets on walls.

“We do residential and would love to get more into commercial,” Kaiser said. “We take a collage and install it. We’ve done quite a few in Sioux Falls, Minneapolis and Des Moines.”

Zen Designs does not have a single storefront, but Kaiser finds the multiple marketplaces and online aspect a way to diversify the audience for now.