Clay boss looks to mould Trench Town youths

Amid tension and strife in the tough inner-city community of Trench Town in St Andrew, Garfield Williams is dedicated to creating a positive space for the residents while using craft to transform their lives.

Williams, the proprietor of the Trench Town Ceramics and Art Centre, has for the past two decades, been engaging young minds in the art of sculpting. In the coming weeks, Williams, in collaboration with street photographer Marina Burnel and German outfit, Musician Without Borders, will be hosting an art workshop for the children of Trench Town.

FUNDING

The workshop is funded by the German Embassy of Jamaica. Sculpting workshops are not new at the centre, but because of restrictions brought about by the pandemic, Williams has had to reschedule the event.

"I try to keep the children engaged because, even when they have chores to do at home or they go and sell in the market with their mother, when they are in the area, I encourage them to pass through and participate in the clay activities that we have here. Sometimes we make them freestyle and make their own stuff," Williams told THE STAR.

Inside the centre are boxes of clay and moulds of plaster of paris waiting to be touched by the gifted hands. Finished pieces such as figurines, candle holders and plant stands attest to the skills of the Jamaica-born Canadian artist.

SOURCE OF CLAY

Williams acquires clay in his community of Trench Town and in neighbouring areas such as Rose Town and Maxfield Avenue. Williams, a graduate of West Humber Collegiate Institute, said that the soft, burgundy earthy material is found six feet beneath the surface, with a stark variation in their texture in the community.

It is not uncommon for children to flock the centre from as early as 10 a.m. and on weekends, eager to turn lumps of clay into something magical.

"I believe this is a great place for them to stimulate their minds, as not even the screens are good for them. Sometimes the screens draw their attention to all types of unscrupulous things online, and this is an extra-curricular activity that I grew up on that I was able to gain a skill. I hate to say it but there has been a slow flow with children coming here because of the violence in the area, because one time there was a lot, but it has been tense and the children are a little fearful to come around," Williams explained.

Sections of Trench Town have been impacted by ongoing conflicts that have claimed the lives of several persons in recent months. Williams is advocating for increased social interventions programmes for Trench Town and other violence-prone communities.

"This art centre is giving persons much more than a skill, it is teaching them about the clay that is beneath their feet, which they are able to transform into something marketable to be able to feed their families or themselves," he said, looking at the myriad pieces of artwork in the shop.