The WARE Collective

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The WARE Collective

The WARE Collective was formed in 2017 and promotes the preservation of historic structures and tradi

06/05/2026

Today is World Environment Day! 🌍

To celebrate, we’re throwing it back to our 2024 on-site workshop.

Traditional building methods only work if they make sense for how we live today, which means our time on site is spent balancing old-school material science (like keeping raw lime from absorbing CO2 too early) with modern practicalities (like where to hide the electrical conduits).

This framing right here is for the new on-site bathroom structure. We’re working with round timber posts, getting the skeleton up, and figuring out how to neatly run modern plumbing and wiring through traditional setups without disrupting the structural integrity or aesthetics of the build.

It’s a lot of alignment, a lot of patience, and a serious amount of elbow grease to get these pieces sitting right.

Designing around a traditional tank means balancing ancestral water-harvesting methods with modern 21st-century functionality. Building like this aligns perfectly with the theme of World Environment Day, "Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future." This is at the heart of what we do at WARE.

05/12/2026

Spanish Wall is a traditional Jamaican building technique, where a hardwood timber frame is filled with broken limestone stones, packed in a mortar made from local earth and lime. (Limestone is widely available and abundant across rural Jamaica, including in parishes like St. Elizabeth. )

The whole thing is then plastered over with a lime and mortar mix, which is why from the outside it just looks like a regular wall, you’d never know what’s going on inside it.

Builders used what the land gave them, and the result was thick, solid walls that stayed cool in the heat and held up through decades of tropical weather.

Houses like this one are becoming increasingly rare. As they fall into disrepair, the knowledge of how they were built, and what it would take to restore them properly, risks disappearing along with them.

That’s exactly the kind of structure the Wattle and Red Earth Collective documents, researches, and works to preserve 🇯🇲

05/04/2026

This is traditional thatched roof construction being done by Mr. Guy Parchment.

This is one of the oldest building techniques in Jamaica. Dried palm leaves are layered and tied in overlapping rows, working from the bottom of the roof upward so each layer sheds water onto the one below it. Done right, a thatched roof keeps a structure cool, handles rainfall well, and can last years before it needs replacing.

Before zinc and concrete took over, this is how Jamaican homes were covered. The materials came from the land, the knowledge came from the community, and the result was a roof that actually made sense for the climate 🌴

02/05/2026

2025 felt like a year and a half, we faced such unprecedented events, both locally and regionally. We look back at some of the highlights and milestones from the past year. A huge thank you to all of our volunteers, friends, members and executive body for their dedication and time sent throughout the year. As we continue to rebuild in the aftermath of Melissa, we look forward to 2026 with hopeful eyes.

12/15/2025

As we continue to mourn the passing of Mazola Wa Mwashighadi, a dear friend, WARE collaborator, and pillar of the Treasure Beach community, we wanted to pay tribute to his extraordinary life as an artist and teacher.

Here are some reflections on Mazola by members of our executive team, along with a few of the many moments shared with such a creative being.

12/02/2025

Artists & Artisans Supported by the WARE Collective’s GoFundMe

Artists and artisans are among those impacted financially and creatively by the hurricane, so the WARE Collective knew we wanted to offer targeted support.

The Friends of the WARE Collective raised $10,185 for our GoFundMe Fundraiser which closed on November 24.

In addition to general hurricane relief for our St Elizabeth neighbours, our fundraiser has supported 8 artists, the 3 artists in this Thank You video are:

—Stacey Rowe from Mountainside District, St Elizabeth. Stacey is a basket weaver.

—Ty Mckie, a visual artist based in St. Mary, who works across digital and physical art, and this support will help them with materials and tools.

—Courtney Morris, of 44 Miles Jewellery is a jeweler based in Black River, St Elizabeth. The door on Courtney’s studio blew off in the hurricane and her equipment and materials sustained considerable damage.

We know more will be needed but it’s a great start, to the long road ahead.

11/15/2025

These are some of the people we’ve met in St. Elizabeth, neighbors in need of continued support as they rebuild after disaster. We’ve offered what we can, but there’s still more to be done.

Help us to keep showing up. Donations to the GoFundMe close on Monday, November 24. Every contribution goes toward providing more infrastructural and on-the-ground assistance to our community members.

📸/🎥: Courtney Coke

11/08/2025

Meet Beverly, Karlene, and Novelyn. Three women. Three different life stories. All in need of assistance to rebuild their homes in the parish of St. Elizabeth.

We’ve been going around collecting stories, giving support where we can, whether through direct financial help, supplies, or simply showing up. But we still have a long way to go.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed so far. Though the road to recovery is uncertain, we believe rebuilding is only possible when we stand together. In the face of devastation, FoWARE’s top priority remains supporting our neighbors, brothers, and sisters as they restore their everyday lives, essential needs, and livelihoods. Please continue to spread the word.

📸/🎥: Courtney Coke
Photos taken November 5, 2025

11/05/2025

On October 28, 2025, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica, devastating the island.

It was a Category 5 hurricane, labeled the “storm of the century”, the most powerful ever to hit the island, with wind speeds reaching up to 185 mph. The destruction has been immense, and the full extent of the damage is still being assessed. Jamaica, still recovering from Hurricane Beryl (2024) and facing the ongoing impacts of climate change, is now confronting catastrophic losses. Homes, livelihoods, and essential services have been destroyed.

Please contribute to the Friends of the WARE COLLECTIVE (FoWARE) to help rebuild communities in southern Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica. FoWARE is a U.S. based 501(c)(3) organization that works alongside the WARE COLLECTIVE in Jamaica. Their mandate focuses on community building and heritage preservation. Your donation will go directly toward setting up accounts at local, Jamaican-owned companies, allowing community members to purchase essential building supplies such as lumber, roofing materials, and cement.

Our fundraising goals are to:

Distribute 70% of the funds raised to those most in need, meaning families identified through the WARE Collective’s church, school, and community networks.
Support local small businesses, including hardware and farm supply stores, by purchasing gift certificates redeemable for roofing materials, tarpaulins, and other necessities.
3. Allocate the remaining 30% to WARE’s rebuilding efforts.

While the destruction across the island is heartbreaking, we’ve also witnessed the incredible resilience of traditional Jamaican building methods. For instance, the Wynter House is still standing, with only parts of its zinc roof lost; a testament to the durability of these older techniques.

Your support of FoWARE’s efforts will help St Elizabeth communities recover, rebuild, and preserve these legacies of resilience for generations to come.

10/24/2025

Last year, Hurricane Beryl flattened our historic Vassell House, a space built with care, earth, and memory.

As Hurricane Melissa approaches, we’re preparing again: reinforcing structures, securing materials, and most importantly, keeping our community safe. We encourage everyone to do the same, stock up on materials, check on neighbours, and protect what matters most.

As we prepare, we’re also continuing the quiet work of restoration. Through Give To Jamaica Week, we’re raising funds to keep building towards the ultimate opening of our fully functioning Living Museum. We want to keep building stronger, more sustainable, and more rooted in care.

While the donations we receive won’t reach us in time for immediate hurricane prep, your support ensures that when the skies clear, we can continue rebuilding what storms have taken.

We’re holding space for safety, resilience, and community care, before, during, and after the storm.

Stay safe, Jamaica 💛

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Clearwater, FL

Website

http://thewarecollective.com/

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