GoodHeart | Hamilton Wiltshire breathes new life into Caribbean pottery
Published:Saturday | August 3, 2024 | 12:06 AM
Rooted deeply in the history of the Caribbean is the art of pottery making. Pottery has evolved from a necessity skill for making tools and utensils among the region’s first inhabitants to a more decorative reminder which pays homage to the history of our ancestors. As part of Barbados’ 50th Anniversary for Crop Over, Hamilton Wiltshire, the passionate owner of Hamilton’s Pottery in Barbados, led an immersive cultural pottery class on the alabaster sands of Copacabana beach in St Michael, ahead of the country’s Grand Kadooment.
Wiltshire began his journey into pottery as a teenager in 1977. “The government started the programme to revive the industry because it was said to be a dying art in Barbados,” he shared. This initiative opened doors for Hamilton, allowing him to study with masters, including renown Jamaican potter Peter Cave and Claremont Devonish in Barbados, which significantly shaped his understanding of pottery.
His education didn’t stop in the Caribbean. Wiltshire had the privilege of furthering his studies in Italy, enhancing his skills and broadening his artistic horizons. In 1990, he also took a significant step by starting his own operation, initially named Indigenous Potteries. The business eventually relocated to Sturgis, St Thomas, near Harrison’s Cave, and rebranded to Hamilton’s Pottery in 2008. “We changed the name to Hamilton’s Pottery because folks were looking for the pottery by my name,” he explained.
At Hamilton’s Pottery, the focus is on creating a wide range of household and decorative items, from plates and bowls to mugs and more. The pottery is renowned for using local red clay, processed entirely in-house, from mining to the finished product. Wiltshire takes pride in this process, noting that their products are not only beautiful but durable, thanks to the high firing temperatures used.
One of his notable contributions to the pottery community is his commitment to education and collaboration.”We also do a lot of training, which recently included students from Jamaica. One of my students was Robert Campbell, who’s prominent in Jamaica,” he recalled.
With the quest of keeping the art of Caribbean pottery alive, Wiltshire envisions a future where potters across the Caribbean share their knowledge and resources more freely. He believes that the key to a thriving Caribbean pottery industry lies in collaboration. “I think, if we share among ourselves, we can all progress together. I can take some knowledge from those in Jamaica and they can take some from me. I can also share solutions and make connections with those in St Vincent and Guyana,” he emphasised.
To support this vision, local governments and organisations can play a crucial role by facilitating more sharing and collaboration between potters, providing funding for training programmes, promoting Caribbean pottery more widely, and encouraging partnerships across the region.
Hamilton’s Pottery remains a cornerstone of the local craft industry in the Caribbean. Their products are available throughout Barbados, in retail stores like Bridgetown Duty-Free and Ganzi stores, as well as at their own location.