Learning the Craft

By Llewellyn Emery

Located in the old Cooperage in Dockyard, the Bermuda Craft Market is more than just another shop with locally made souvenirs. It is home to a variety of Bermudian artisans, who interact with customers and demonstrate their respective talents.

One unique feature is the store’s ­emphasis on hands-on learning. Whether it’s the ­extensive selection of books by local authors, the collection of old maritime maps or the exhaustive stock of handmade products, ­everything here invites you to browse, discover and examine. It is a very tactile experience.

The Craft Market is a beehive of activity during the height of cruise ship season (April–October). However, the store’s imaginative Winter Programme is what attracts residents and visitors during the quieter months from November through March. This programme features various special events such as the Sunday afternoon Taste of Bermuda, which offers free sampling of Bermuda Rum Cake, gourmet foods, sherry peppers and local beer.

Thursdays and Sundays are designated as special days for hands-on activities, when the friendly artists are happy to teach ­interested observers some of their secrets. Willing ­participants can learn how to do chair caning, decoupage and sea-glass painting, or how to knit, crochet or make banana leaf dolls — all at a leisurely pace. The artisans become teachers, and their students get the opportunity to unleash their own creativity and keep the resulting handiwork.

The activities of the Winter Programme are free. They all form part of the Craft Market experience. After all, the objective of the Bermuda Craft Market, a registered charity, is to promote the value and love of the art of craft. To this end, the Market’s staff and volunteers also reach out to Bermuda schools’ arts programs. In 2010, the Market hosted a daylong pilot session involving art teachers from various island schools.

“We were so impressed and delighted with their enthusiasm that we are moving forward with our plans this year to have the teachers bring groups of students here to spend a day with us,” says Manager Audrey Brackstone. “More recently, we hosted ­leaders of various seniors groups, with a view to exposing or re-introducing some of our ­senior citizens to hands-on learning.”

The Bermuda Craft Market promises to continue attracting visitors of all ages, ensuring that hands-on learning will be available to past, present and future generations.

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