An invitation to support SVG Clay 2027
Please join us in an endeavor close to our hearts: SVG Clay, an initiative to bring ceramics education and production to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Why this matters

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a small island developing nation of remarkable natural beauty and cultural richness, but it is not a wealthy country. Public funding for arts and vocational education is scarce, and equipment of this kind remains beyond reach without the generosity of partners abroad.

The islands also share a deep history with clay. For generations, Indigenous communities shaped the island's earth by hand, a tradition that colonialism all but severed. The clay itself endures, and in abundance; laboratory testing has confirmed it as a viable mid-range stoneware. Yet despite these abundant natural resources, no one on the island is making ceramics today. No pottery, tile or building materials are produced locally, and even the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC) can use the clay only for sculpture, lacking the kilns and equipment needed to process, form and fire it.

What SVG Clay will do

SVG Clay will donate equipment, establish a fully working ceramics studio at SVGCC, and train professors and community members in every aspect of the craft, from processing raw clay to forming, glazing and firing. Our aim is to empower Vincentians to create authentic cultural objects and architectural ceramics from their own earth, and to equip local artists with the skills and tools to launch their own entrepreneurial ventures. Alongside this teaching, we will pursue research into locally made bricks and roof tile.

Your generosity would make this possible. The equipment will be installed at SVGCC in January 2027 and will belong to the college, enabling professors, students and community members to:

Fire pottery and tile from their own island clay for the first time
Build the skills for a future ceramics certificate program and creative careers
Establish their own studios, small businesses and creative enterprises
Create handmade "100% SVG" work rooted in Vincentian culture and heritage

Ways to partner with us

Donate a specific item, such as a kiln, pottery wheel, slab roller or glaze set
Sponsor an entire area, such as the kilns or the forming equipment
Extend discounted pricing, or contribute surplus or gently used equipment
Help underwrite shipping to St. Vincent

Tax-deductible giving

The Ragguette Family Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 42-2406468). We gratefully accept gifts of equipment, materials and funds, and we provide a written receipt for every tax-deductible contribution.

SVG Clay

Setting up the first ceramics studio for St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Team Members