GREAT BAY--The National Craft Lab:From Roots to History, Exploring Identity Through National Symbolsofficially got underway on Saturday, September 12, bringing together 15 young participants for a seven-week creative journey through St. Maarten’s culture, identity and traditional craftsmanship.
The program, being held at the Philipsburg Cultural Center, is designed for children between the ages of 5 and 12 and combines cultural education with practical creative skills. The initiative is made possible with funding support from Cultuurfonds Caribisch Gebied.
Through the Craft Lab, participants are being introduced to recognizable national and cultural elements of St. Maarten while learning how those symbols can be translated into creative work. The program aims to deepen cultural awareness, encourage pride in local identity and give young people the confidence to express themselves through hands-on craftsmanship.
The program is being guided by experienced craftsmen and creative practitioners Lambert Holder and Kenrick La Touche, who bring decades of combined experience in traditional craft, commercial art, costume design and cultural education.
Holder, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, has a background in technical education, machine shop work and technical drawing. His creative experience includes art and craft instruction, wood carving, driftwood creations and workshops throughout the Caribbean and internationally. He has also continued his creative work in St. Maarten through involvement in UNESCO-related wire-bending initiatives.
La Touche has been active in the creative arts since 2002 and has produced Carnival and cultural costumes for St. Kitts, Anguilla, France, Dutch and French St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Barths. For the past three and a half years, he has also worked with the UNESCO St. Maarten National Commission on projects in commercial art, formerly known as wire bending.
Their involvement gives participants the opportunity to learn directly from practitioners who have spent years developing and preserving hands-on creative traditions.
The first session welcomed 15 students along with two youth assistants who form part of the Craft Lab team. The youth assistants will support the younger participants throughout the creative process while gaining practical experience themselves, adding another layer of knowledge transfer to the program.
Over the course of the program, participants will explore five recognizable national and cultural elements: the Brown Pelican, Yellow Sage, Courthouse, Hibiscus and Flamboyant.
Using these symbols as inspiration, students will learn about observation, measurement, shape, symmetry, pattern, construction and presentation while transforming their ideas into finished creative pieces. Each participant will also be encouraged to develop a personal story or artist statement to accompany their work.
The seven-week program will move from discovery and design into construction, color, texture, craftsmanship, storytelling and exhibition preparation.
The National Craft Lab will conclude with a short public exhibition at which students will have the opportunity to showcase their completed pieces, explain what they have learned and share their creative journey with the wider community.
Through the support of Cultuurfonds Caribisch Gebied, the National Craft Lab is creating a space where culture is not only discussed, but actively practiced, created and passed from one generation to another.
“Our hands create, our symbols speak, and our heritage continues.”
