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  • Arts Crafts Store
  • Arts & Crafts Store

Description

Wassi Art is a treasure chest of unusual pottery that absolutely delights collectors and art lovers alike. Wassi Art is the perfect example of how love for art can evolve from a hobby to a flourishing enterprise. When the company was incorporated in 1992, Theresa Lee started off with three artists. Twenty years later, Wassi Art counts 30 employees and has made a name for itself far beyond Jamaica’s coastline. Shop for the island’s finest handcrafted pottery at this marvelous factory, where talented artists capture the island’s essence through the love of their craft.
Wassi (wha-see) – ‘terrific’ in old island dialect – is the best description of the magnificent clay creations the artists at Wassi Art produce, and the Ocho Rios factory is now a ‘must do’ on the long list of Jamaican attractions.

Thus starts the evolution from a piece of clay to outstanding pottery: terracotta colored clay, dug by hand from the Blue Mountain ranges, is packed into rice bags and carried on heads across swaying footbridge strung across a deep gulch. Transported by truck to Wassi Art, the first step of production is to soak the clay in drums. Then, the clay is strained and poured into plaster vats to remove excess water.

Are you curious as to what happens next? Well, why not pay a visit to Wassi Art and find out first hand? Attend the free Wassi Art factory tour to learn how the beautiful vases, teapots, statues, cups and saucers reach the shelves of the Ocho Rios showroom or one of the many stores across the island. The free factory tour offers genuine cultural interaction combined with air-conditioned, harassment-free shopping and you can delight in watching the artists wield their magic. Famous visitors to the Wassi Art workshop include Kofi Annan, Shari Belafonte, Bryan Adams, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Jesse Jackson.

Considered unorthodox in ceramic art world, Wassi Art designs are brightly colored, one-of-a-kind, uninhibited and original pieces with broad appeal. The factory is located at 16 Main Street in the resort town of Ocho Rios and another retail outlet at the Historic Devon House in Kingston.

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