Artistic work on display at forum.
Culture Minister Jorien Wuite and panellists at the Creative Industries Interactive Exchange Forum
Artwork on display at the forum.
PHILIPSBURG–General Manager for Economics Policy at the Central Bank of Aruba Dr. Ryan Peterson believes that St. Maarten’s “orange economy,” can triple in the next five years.
Peterson shared his views on the subject as the keynote address speaker during the country’s first Creative Industries Interactive Exchange Forum (CIIEF), held at the Belair Community Centre on March 21.
An orange economy comprises the creative arts industries such as architecture, visual and performing arts, crafts, film, design, publishing, research and development, games and toys, fashion, music, advertising, software, TV, radio and videogames, amongst others.
During his presentation Peterson dispelled some myths about the creative industry; he discussed how innovation and creativity went hand-in-hand, how the creative economy was moving away from traditional creative arts and moving towards digital artistry, and as a way to offer great experiences to consumers.
This, he said, coupled with digital technologies is an extremely powerful tool that needs to be better used particularly by smaller islands that now need to do more with less.
During a follow-up discussion with Education Minister Jorien Wuite the day after the forum Peterson said that with the right guiding the creative economy in St. Maarten could grow from its current estimated 1.7 per cent contribution to the economy, to “an impressive” 5 to 7 per cent in the next five years once the right incentives and support are provided. He stressed the need for an economist in the Culture Department to help develop the monetising of the country’s creative industry.
The forum also included a panel discussion featuring Department of Economic Affairs acting head Jude Houston, St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) President Alston Lourens, pageant coordinator and Kalaboom Events co-founder Melisa Boasman, St. Maarten Tourism Bureau Director Rolando Bryson and Department of Culture head Clara Reyes.
Each panellist had to deliver a presentation on how his or her industry intersected with the creative arts and how collaboration could further support the idea of an orange economy in St. Maarten. The presenters agreed that St. Maarten had enormous potential to develop a vibrant creative industry that would “greatly add” to the economic gross domestic product (GDP).
The panel discussion began with a special video presentation by coordinator of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in Barbados Lisa Harding. The CDB recently established a special fund to promote creative industries in Caribbean islands.
Several workshops were also held during the forum, which were led by Fabian Badejo, Notary Marlene Mingo and Josianne Fleming-Artsen. The workshops explored the vision and possibilities of the establishment of an artists guild as well as building toward a national culture prize.
In the workshop guided by Badejo and Mingo, attendees discussed the different configurations that a guild could develop, from a completely private association with artists as members to a public/private type composition with the possibility to generate income that can support artists’ development and interests.
Mingo shared practical steps on how a proposed guild could be incorporated and structured. She received “an enthusiastic round of applause,” when she offered her complimentary services in the setting up of the proposed guild.
Fleming-Artsen led talks on how the Culture Prize in St. Maarten could be further developed into a yearly award given on a consistent basis. She challenged attendees to gather in smaller groups and discuss their ideas which culminated in the sharing of their collective visions. Many ideas were shared including the expansion of the prize into multiple categories, turning the recipient into a regional and international cultural ambassador and awarding lifetime achievement awards.
Both workshops were closed with a call to action whereby interested persons were asked to identify themselves to attend a smaller follow-up session to spearhead the development of both discussion points.
In remarks at the forum Wuite said that, seeing the impact of Hurricane Irma on the country’s tourism industry, the importance of diversifying this product was never more critical.
“As the Minister of Culture I see this as a unique opportunity for artists and our island to explore the possibilities that can be sourced through the creative industries,” she said. “In order to expand on the creative industries we need to create a conducive environment that retains, attracts, reproduces and rewards creative talent of highly mobile youth, a group that is often undervalued socially and poorly rewarded economically in our societies.”
The event concluded with an inter-disciplinary digital arts exhibition featuring artists living and creating their work in St. Maarten. The works ranged from digital mixed media, animators and visual artists to sculptors, fashion designers and poets.
A highlight was the awarding of the 2018 Culture Prize to a Charlotte Brookson Academy of the Performance Arts student.
Wuite thanked everyone who had been involved in the initiative. “It is my sincere hope that the ideas, enthusiasm and vision displayed here today are carried on in the weeks and months to come so that at next year’s forum we would have made a significant impact in furthering St. Maarten’s Orange Economy,” she said.
The event was geared towards introducing the concept of the Orange Economy.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/75145-economist-says-country-s-orange-economy-can-triple-in-five-years
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