View Larger Image The Counting House, with Georgian architecture dating back to the mid-eighteenth century, contains the art and craft gallery and is just one of the houses at Good Hope in Kingston, Jamaica.

July 30, 2007

A Visit to Jamaica Will Leave You Rested and Inspired

by Ceramic Arts Daily | Read Comments (6)

Before you know it, summer will be over. But you still have time to say "Jah Mon" to one more vacation trip before fall arrives and school starts--a trip that will leave you inspired and rejuvinated. This week we continue our series spotlighting travel destinations famous for their ceramic art and pottery, with a look at Jamaica, known as 'the biggest little island in the world.'

Jamaica is a multifaceted mosaic of international customs and traditions. Situated ninety miles south of Cuba and six hundred miles south of Miami, Jamaica is the largest English-speaking island in the Caribbean and the third largest in the region. The island's ancestors, from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, have helped to shape its culture, creating one that is uniquely Jamaican. No visit to Jamaica is complete without experiencing all that it has to offer: Reason with a Rastafarian about life, love or politics. Lose yourself in the rhythms and movements of a people who still refuse to be constrained. Visit one of our many theatres or stage shows and delight in the island's performing arts, showcasing everything from Jonkonnu to jazz. Want to dance too? Join in the wild revelry of Carnival and Augus' Mawnin or just follow the reggae beat, pulsing island wide, and Jamaica's most internationally recognized music and the heartbeat of its people. After that, you're ready to recharge on any one of Jamaica's fabulous epicurean delights, including ackee and saltfish with roast breadfruit, escoveitched fish, bammy and festival. With all that going for it, no wonder Jamaica has been called 'the biggest little island in the world.'

The Beauty of Jamaica is Found in its Art
Jamaica is a natural muse. The island gleams in Technicolor, from lofty Blue Mountains to shimmering sands and turquoise seas. Jamaicans pulse with a creative energy that is perhaps most tangible in their visual art, which uses the country's inspirational palette to give a physical reflection of Jamaica past, present and future.

Jamaican paintings, sculpture and pottery are among the best in the Caribbean. What makes its art extraordinary is its diversity. Artists work in a variety of styles, modes and forms, ranging from the academic to the self-taught or intuitive, the surrealist and symbolist to the impressionist and social-realist. Jamaica's artists also masterfully draw from, or blend, European, African and American influences. They've learned from Europe's and America's classical and abstract forms, while mimicking the techniques, colors and symbols found in African art. All together, they've collected and merged these influences to create the extremely varied, unique Jamaican school.

Over the years, this relatively small country has produced a seemingly infinite number of outstanding artists. Some of its most famous are Edna Manley, renowned sculptor and painter; Albert Huie, foremost landscape painter; Cecil Baugh, master potter; Kapo, the most prominent of Jamaica's self-taught artists, and Alvin Marriot, realist sculptor. The list is impressive and endless, growing each day as new artists burst onto the Jamaican art scene.

Fine works of art are found everywhere you turn--from traditional galleries and museums to surprisingly unconventional spots like roadside displays or inner city walls--you'll find pieces of note. When visiting Jamaica, be sure to take a tour of its colorful art arena. Browse the numerous galleries, showcasing Jamaica's most treasured pieces, or look out for the newest talents as you wander the streets.

Common Wealth: A Workshop in Jamaica
When a word is spoken repeatedly by different sources, it moves to the forefront of your thinking. It begins to resonate as more people pronounce it and you seek evidence of its truth. Gradually the word comes to epitomize a person or event. The word that pervades Anderson Ranch Art Center's annual workshops in Jamaica is "community."

Community derives from the Latin communitas, meaning fellowship. Undoubtedly, the notions of companionship and mutual sharing are part of any ceramics gathering. But the unique character of the Jamaican workshops comes from the other source of the word which is communis, common. Common is defined, in part, as relating to the community at large; basic, simple, equal. In modern Western society, it is increasingly difficult to connect with commonality or grass roots. Yet Doug Casebeer and David Pinto have conceived of ceramics workshops that capture these elusive fundamentals.

Casebeer, who has been the program director for ceramics at the Ranch since 1985 and is seen in the photo at right loading the Good Hope soda kiln, began his career as a ceramist in Jamaica. While still on the premises of New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University shortly after acquiring his M.F.A., he saw an advertisement for a ceramics technician with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. The joint UN/Jamaican government project, called "Things Jamaican," aimed to develop ceramic products that could eventually be divested to the private sector. Two weeks after seeing the ad, he was in Kingston, in charge of 10,000 square feet of space, 48 people, one potter's wheel and two tables. Although Casebeer phoned his wife within days of arrival to say "I'm not staying and you're not coming," his original contract for three months extended to three years.

At the height of its production, Things Jamaican processed a ton of clay per day, which in finished terms meant there were between 50,000 and 70,000 handmade objects in the factory at one time. But more important than the production statistics was the development of Casebeer's self. He began his Jamaican tenure when he was 25 and describes the next three years as being some of the most formative of his life. He says that he learned about "values, cultural and economic disparities, and what constitutes happiness and self worth" from people who lived in a shantytown of Kingston.

Casebeer tells an anecdote about one of these lessons. He arrived at the factory one morning, not long after becoming "the boss." Everyone was sitting idle. He approached one of the supervisors, Mrs. Brown, and questioned her about the lazy workforce. Without looking up from her coffee, Mrs. Brown said, "You do bad mornings." Casebeer replied, "Excuse me?" Mrs. Brown repeated, "You do bad mornings" and went on to say, "I don't care who you are or where you're coming from, you need to go out there and acknowledge everyone who's here on a daily basis for you." She then took Casebeer by the hand and led him to each employee to say "good morning, good morning, good morning..." Casebeer acknowledges, "That was a pretty clear lesson that I needed to pay attention to the people around me and what they needed as well. It was about respect and trust." The fact that he recounts this with pride is testimony to his gratitude to these unexpected teachers.

While some of the people he worked alongside in Jamaica were content, others had no sense of direction and lived in despair. In the course of striving to bring these disparate factors together, Casebeer adopted the role of facilitator, generating a dynamic that focused the group on a common goal. It was a role that suited him and one he now emphasizes amongst the many "artist, educator, fundraiser, ceramics ambassador" that he plays.

Coming Wednesday: When Casebeer moved on to Anderson Ranch in Colorado, it was not only the technical skills honed in Trenchtown that were employed immediately. He put the Ranch's facilities in order, built kilns, and established ceramics and sculpture programs. On Wednesday, you'll read about his efforts to organize workshops.