Pottery students with Labour Commissioner Elijah Silcott and BNTF Project Manager Christopher Lee
During the St. Patrick’s week of celebrations we discovered two craftsmen in Montserrat who have been continuing unknown, to produce unnoticed and unsupported craft that are second to none in the region.
The following is an excerpt from a TMR story published 13 years and one month ago. This is more of the same in Montserrat. These are just a sample of items of the continuing cotton and craft industry – There are others!
Mrs. Idabelle Meade, the Hon. Minister of Education, Health and Community Services, hailed Montserrat’s new pottery project and building in one of the former shelters in Brades “as a great leap in developing local industry” when she opened the unit on Wednesday Minister Meade said that in order to achieve a state of well-being in Montserrat, her Government “is actively seeking ways to promote cultural and economic growth and provide opportunities for people to promote themselves.”
This project is one such example. Established by the Community Services Department in conjunction with the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), it offers all persons interested in exploring and developing their creative talents the opportunity to learn the art of pottery, with the goal of owning their own small businesses.
Listing the Community Center in Lookout, the Family Center in Cudjoe Head, the Computer Classes for men, the Turning Point Project Office and the summer school art class (from which this project developed), Mrs. Meade called them “indicators that the Ministry of Health, Education and Community Services and Labour is constantly and steadfastly working to make Montserrat socially and economically sustainable.”
She said her Government’s aim is to have the other shelters reconverted to what they were supposed to be — industrial factories.
Mrs. Meade used the opportunity to appeal to the private sector to invest in areas such as leather craft and candle making, and said her Government “is offering concessions and factory space as it becomes available.” She emphasised that “never was the time for investment so conducive for business in Montserrat.”
She implored students to be aggressive as they strive for excellence in producing quality products, and said, “When one reads ‘Made in Montserrat’, they must know that the product is valuable.”
Labour Commissioner. Elijah Silcott stressed that by networking our resources, much more can be achieved and called upon all those responsible for the Ministries to work collectively, rather than individually.
He extended his congratulations to the 10 participants who began the training workshop two weeks ago, and said he was very proud to see them still involved in the classes.
Mr. Dennis Bell, of Red Clay Pottery in Barbados, consultant and facilitator for the project, commended the students for learning this new art form in three weeks, half the scheduled time. He said, “The students produced items of a high quality and quantity, comparable to those in industrial countries, and present countries like China, where the quality is so high, it is even better than those made in industrialized countries.”
Christopher “King” Lee, Project Manager for the BNTF, and Miss Icilma Fenton, his assistant, and Mrs. Angela Greenaway, Head of the Development Unit, all contributed to the project.
The Ministry of Agriculture provided the building to house the Project, whilst the BNTF provided the kiln and the necessary raw materials.
