Batik photos (
2
): Shelley Seale / W inter photo: Courtesy of Design Caribbean
Below: Richard
Winter of Arawak
Leather Craft, Guyana,
presents his work at
Design Caribbean, an
annual art fair in the
Dominican Republic.
Right and above:
Yvette Coker, an artist
at Caribelle Batik, St.
Kitts, creates a design
on fabric using the ancient
method of resisting dye
with wax.
“ S t . L u c ia n s a r e h ig h ly e x p r e s s i v e p e o -
p le , a n d m a s t e r c r a f t e r s a r e p e r h a p s lim it e d
o n l y b y t h e ir la c k o f e x p o s u r e , a n d a c c e s s to
t o o l s ,” s h e s a y s . T h a t s a id , S t . L u c i a h a s th e
la r g e s t n u m b e r o f t r a d it io n a l p o t t e r s in th e
E n g lis h - s p e a k in g C a r ib b e a n . B u t P r e s c o t t
f e a r s t h e t r a d it io n w i l l d ie o u t. N o t a s in g le
c h ild o f th e 3 0 o r s o w o r k in g p o t t e r s ( a lm o s t
a ll w o m e n ) is in t e r e s t e d in c o n t in u in g th e
c r a f t , s h e s a y s .
O n A n t i g u a , n a t iv e - b o r n c e r a m is t
M ic h a e l H u n t r e t u r n e d t o t h e C a r ib b e a n
w i t h h is E n g lis h w i f e , c e r a m is t I m o g e n
M a r g r ie , t o la u n c h C e d a r s P o t t e r y in 1 9 9 6 .
T h e c o u p le m a k e t h e ir w o r k c o lla b o r a -
t i v e l y , p r o d u c in g a r a n g e o f h a n d - t h r o w n
t a b le w a r e , c a r v in g s , s c u lp t u r e s , a n d w a l l
p ie c e s , a n d a n e c le c t ic m ix o f a r c h it e c t u r a l,
o n e - o f - a - k in d c o m m is s io n e d p ie c e s .
“ T h e t a c t ile n a t u r e o f c la y e x c it e s m e ,”
M a r g r ie s a y s . “ M y p ie c e s t e n d t o b e a b o u t
f o r m a n d t e x t u r e , w i t h a lim it e d a m o u n t o f
c o l o r .” H u n t s a y s h is c r e a t i v i t y is f u e le d b y
t h e n a tu r a l a n d u r b a n g e o g r a p h y , f r o m r o c k
f o r m s t o a r c h it e c t u r e . E v e n o b s c u r e n o t io n s
f r o m r e lig io u s t e x t s c a n in s p ir e h im .
M a n y o f t h e r e g io n ’ s c r a f t w o r k s fin d
t h e ir w a y t o D e s ig n C a r ib b e a n , a f a ir in
S a n t o D o m in g o , D o m in ic a n R e p u b lic , t h a t
t a k e s p la c e e v e r y fa ll. T h e C a r ib b e a n A r t s
a n d C r a f t s F e s t i v a l , h e ld in M a r c h in th e
B r it is h V i r g i n I s la n d s , is a ls o a b ig d r a w .
V i s i t o r s c a n e x p e c t t o fin d e v e r y t h i n g fr o m
w o v e n b a s k e t s a n d h a n d m a d e fu r n it u r e to
h a n d -fir e d p o t t e r y a n d s c u lp t e d m e ta ls b y
a r tis a n s r e p r e s e n t in g a b o u t 20 C a r ib b e a n
is la n d s . T h e e v e n t a ls o p r o m o t e s t h e u s e
o f lo c a lly s o u r c e d a n d r e c y c le d m a t e r ia ls ,
in k e e p in g w i t h t h e r e g io n ’ s h i s t o r y o f
t r a n s f o r m in g n a tu r a l is la n d m a t e r ia ls in t o
c u lt u r a lly s ig n if ic a n t c r e a t io n s .
H i l r o y F in g a l o f t h e is la n d o f D o m in ic a
e m b r a c e s th is p r a c t ic e , t r a n s fo r m in g t h r o w -
a w a y o b je c t s s u c h a s b o t t le s , r o c k s , a n d
c a la b a s h g o u r d s in t o b e a u t ifu l a n d f u n c t io n -
a l p ie c e s , m a n y f r e ig h t e d w i t h s y m b o lis m
in t h e ir s u r fa c e d e c o r a t io n . H e a ls o c r e a t e s
j e w e l r y , la m p s h a d e s , v a s e s , p a in t in g s , a n d
d r a w in g s , a ll s h o w c a s e d a t B a lis ie r , a r e s t a u -
r a n t in t h e G a r r a w a y H o t e l.
A s ix - p a r t is la n d - b y - is la n d t e le v is io n
d o c u m e n t a r y ,
The Power o f Craft,
is in p r o -
d u c t io n . W h i l e m a n y t r a d it io n a l c r a f t s ,
s u c h as p o t t e r y a n d b a s k e t r y , c o n t in u e
la r g e ly u n c h a n g e d , m o r e c o n t e m p o r a r y
in flu e n c e s fin d t h e ir w a y o n t o t h e is la n d
s c e n e - a j u x t a p o s i t i o n t h e d o c u m e n t a r y
s e e k s t o c a p t u r e .
+
c a r ib e lle b a t ik s t k it t s .c o m
f a c e b o o k .c o m / F i n o la P r e s c o t t D e s ig n s
d e s ig n c a r ib b e a n .c o m
c a r ib b e a n a r t is a n .n e t
g a r r a w a y h o t e l.c o m
Shelley Seale is a freelance journalist and
author based in Austin, Texas. Her stories
have appeared in
N a t io n a l G e o g r a p h ic
and
U S A T o d a y ,
among other publications.
feb/mar
12
american craft
135
