Tuesday's Design: Magpie

Let’s chat a little bit about Magpie! This South African art collective has been making waves for a little while and as you can see, the praise is definitely worthwhile. Magpie “… a socially conscious art collective..." was founded in 1998 by Scott B Hart and social entrepreneur Shane A Petzer. They basically take recycled goods and turn it into stunning pieces of art! The famed furniture buyer of Anthropologie, Keith Johnson, was totally floored by their work on a buying trip to South Africa that you can now buy their pieces through Anthro online. And as if that wasn’t enough, Michael Smith (i.e. the luckiest interior designer in the world who is decorating the White House) has submitted a Magpie chandelier to potential grace the White House. Since Obama has enough big decisions to make, I’m going to help him out: JUST SAY YES!!!

When these guys are out being all environmentally friendly and making recycled chandeliers, they are out and about helping their fellow South Africans. Through their Rooi Doppies Project, the group works provides technical support to community income generation projects, crafters and civil society endeavors that focus on critical social issues, such as HIV/AIDS, Substance Abuse, Recycling and Environmental concerns.



Wanna see more, click here for their website, here for their chandelier at Anthro, and tune into the Sundance Channel and catch Keith Johnson in their studion on the Man Shops Globe.

{Photos: Anthropologie and Magpie}