Creativity takes over Treasure Beach Easter weekend

THE SEASIDE community of Treasure Beach in south St Elizabeth is known the world over for its laid back charm and rustic allure, not to mention the Calabash Literary Festival.

It is also home to many artisans and artists, and from Saturday, April 19 to Monday, April 21, it will be hosting the first-ever ‘Made In Treasure Beach Art Festival’, organised by a Treasure Beach artist collective.

“Nestled along Jamaica’s southern coast, Treasure Beach has long been a haven for creatives and dreamers. In Easter 2025, this vibrant community will host the inaugural Treasure Beach Art Festival, a celebration of local artistry and craftsmanship,” The organisers say.

“This is a first edition, with the hope of making it an annual event. Organised by a collective of resident artists, the festival will showcase the region’s rich creative spirit through a line-up of market, studio visits and workshops. From intricate handmade crafts to bold contemporary pieces, the event aims to highlight the depth of talent in Treasure Beach and its surrounding areas.”

Kim’s Place, aka The Big Kasha Tree, is the venue for the art and craft marketplace on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Only handmade items by artists and artisans who live in Treasure Beach and the surrounding areas will be featured,” the organisers say.

They include Annajs Gifts (fabric crafter), Birgitte Andres (graphic designer/painter), Dennis Di Artist (painter/muralist), Guilty (sculptor/painter/drum-maker), Jeff Menzies (music instrument maker/sculptor), Lucas Williams (painter), Marina Burnel (photographer/mixed media), Mazola waMwashighadi (sculptor/painter/accessories-maker), Philip Supersaad (potter/drum-maker/drummer), Richard Gordon (painter) and Robert Wright (wood artisan).

Add to the list, Ronda Darlyn (mosaic artist), Stone Soup Jamaica (sewer/maker), The Girl and the Magpie (jewellery), Treasure Beach Women’s Group/Treasure Hunt Gift Shop, Calvin Silvia Straughn (wood carver), Georges Silvia Straughn (Wood carver), Glenmore McKenzie (wood carver), Michael Moxam (painter), Sandy Straughn (wood carver), Sheldon Hill (tattoo/graphic design) and Tommy Wong (painter).

From Billy’s Bay to Great Bay the ‘art tour’ will flow on Sunday in a bus provided by Treasure Tour to take patrons between art venues throughout the day. Stops will be made in Billy’s Bay at Jamaica Center for the Arts and Mazola waMwashighadi’s Found Object.

At Frenchman’s Bay, Marina Burnel Photography, Callaloo Boutique (with a focus on Treasure Beach artists) and The Girl and The Magpie are the places to visit. The Artisan Wood of Life Gallery by Robert Wright at Calabash Bay, Treasure Beach Women’s Group: The Treasure Hunt at Old Wharf, and Guilty at Great Bay are the other destinations.

Easter Monday is the day for artists’ workshops. Some artists are offering workshops or demonstrations of their work at their venues, providing patrons a chance to learn new techniques from professional and recognised artists.

At 10 a.m., Guilty will be showing how to make bangles from tamarind twigs at his studio in Great Bay for $3,000. Participants need to take a sharp knife along. At Jamaica Center for the Arts at Billy’s Bay, from 9 a.m. to noon, Jeff Menzies will be facilitating a workshop on how to make traditional Jamaican percussion shakers for $4,700 (material included) to a maximum of 10 participants. Work clothes are required.

To learn about the basics of the manual settings on your camera, you may register for the Marina Burnel photography workshop, which lasts from 9 a.m. to noon at Burnel’s studio and on the beach for US$80 per participant of 10, which is the maximum.

Ronda Darlyn Bennett will teach you how to put all types of pre-cut pieces into a cedar frame in her mosaic workshop at Jack Sprat for US$60 (materials included) from 9 a.m. to noon. You may register (preferably) or simply walk in to hear Mazola waMwashighadi’s personal philosophy on the use of found objects in his studio, Found Object. And while he’s talking from noon to 1 p.m., he’s demonstrating how to create art with found objects. A donation will be appreciated.

The event is in collaboration with Marina Burnel Photography, The Girl and The Magpie, Jamaica Centre for the Arts, Artisan Wood of Life, brand Mek It, Found Object Mazola, Treasure Beach Women’s Group, and Sandy Bank Primary School, and supported by Treasure Tours on Jamaica’s South Coast Ltd, C.A. Parchment and Son Ltd, Trendy Event Rentals, Minerva Treasure Beach Jamaica, Myirieescape.com, Amelia’s, and anonymous donors from the Treasure beach community.

For details and registration, the contact information is www.linktr.ee/made.in.treasurebeach, 876-841-5553, and tb.art.festival (Instagram).