Picture of the Week: National Institute of Arts Calendar Special Series “The Group”
For the 2026 SHTA St Maarten / St Martin Events Calendar, a very special choice was made. The tradition of highlighting one person as Cultural Icon of the Year was temporarily adjusted to celebrate a group: the many talented students of the National Institute of the Arts (NIA).
As you might expect from such an artistic bunch, NIA suggested the setting and the four models, each representing one of the art forms offered at the institute. The photoshoot was done together with Digital Island. The four disciplines represented were Dance, Drama, Visual Arts, and Music. The props, costumes and ‘visagie’ were handled by the four students themselves. At the end of a beautiful day, with the sun just about to go down on Fort Amsterdam, the girls and D.I. combined their artistry to create the now well-known picture for the calendar.
Models Shiloh Bedminister, Mila Grandtner, Nyah Kalmera and Shannell Bucknor all represented part of the variety of arts on offerat NIA. Their many disciplines and the story of their project provide plenty of reasons for VisitStMaarten.com to shine a spotlight on these talents in a special series of “Pictures of the Week” over the coming weeks. While the four models were highlighted because a group photograph was not possible, NIA wants to emphasize that all students from NIA are celebrated, supported and encouraged toward great things, with images submitted by talents from the creative institute itself.
Both the group photograph (see above) and the individual photographs were taken by Digital Island themselves on the cantilevers and buildings of Fort Amsterdam, with NIA present to prompt together with D.I., providing an additional nudge toward the cultural mission of the SHTA Events Calendar. The choice of NIA as Cultural Icon proved to be a moment of pride for the institute’s hundreds of students. NIA stated:
“The NIA calendar has been distributed among all of NIA’s collaborating schools and many more. Everyone has been extremely proud to see NIA recognized and honored as a multidisciplinary arts institute on Sint Maarten. All students coming through NIA’s doors have taken a poster with them, and we imagine the poster appearing in many homes—in hallways, bedrooms, kitchens and elsewhere—alongside the many bars, restaurants, and businesses across the island.”
Although the new Cultural Icon for the SHTA 2027 Events Calendar was recently announced, this year’s icon can still be found on hundreds of walls across the island. NIA added:
“We can only imagine the surprise, recognition, and immense pride felt by any NIA supporter when the NIA-featured calendar is spotted somewhere on the island on a wall.”
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