The University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service offers a wide array of ongoing training to the local community. One such training offered is "Batik," which is a process of producing colored designs on various textiles using dye and wax. This program has been in existence since 2012 under the direction on Mrs. Carol Johnson which has allowed numerous community members to become entrepreneurs within the local textile industry.
With your continuous support of the Virgin Islands Lottery, 70% of all revenues go back into our community. These funds are used to help UVI Cooperative Extension Services and numerous other organizations develop and provide assistance to our local population.
For more information on UVI Cooperative Extension Service: Batik Program, contact Mrs. Carol Johnson at 340-693-1082 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
For more information about the Virgin Islands Lottery Sponsorship - Community Enrichment Initiative program, visit us at: Sponsorship and Funding Requests.
"I'm Dr. Caryl Johnson. I am Program Supervisor of Family and Consumer Sciences for the Cooperative Extension Service, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas Campus. I am the Director and Teacher of the Batik program. I started the program about 7 years ago. It is so popular I have a waiting list for it. I am not an artist, but I learned the technique, so I teach the technique, and I have several students who really are artist, so they take it a step further. But then, I just said, you know what, we really need to get an artist in here. So a couple years ago I contacted Henderson Reece, he is a Batik Artist on the Island of Barbados. He came and he did a workshop. I would like to thank the VI Lottery for the donations they have given us over a couple of years because it has certainly helped to bring in guest artist, Henderson Reece, otherwise I would not be able to afford to bring him in. I appreciate that funding a lot, thank you!"
Dr. Carol Johnson, Program Supervisor of Family and Consumer Sciences for the Cooperative Extension Service, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas Campus; Director and Teacher of the Batik program.
"Hello, I am Mary Davis, and I am a Batik Artist, and I do my Batiks with a group at the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of the Virgin Islands. I have been doing Batiks up there for about 6 years, and it's wonderful."
"My name is Marsha Greene Henry, and I am part of the University of the Virgin Islands Batik program. I started with the program because I am an artist, and I wanted to learn something different, and I was going through a transition in my life, and this helped to fill that space in a very creative and meaningful way."
"Hello, my name is Sharon Seibert, and I have been doing Batik here at the college with Dr. Johnson for 4-5 years. Every piece turns out different, the mix, the way the media works, is exciting."
