Picture of the Week: National Institute of Arts Calendar Special Series “Dance”– Shannell Bucknor
A group picture of the National Institute of Arts (NIA) is the centerpiece of the 2026 SHTA Events Calendar, marking the tenth edition of this yearly calendar highlighting the local arts. Its (photo) story deserved additional attention in a series of Photos of the Week, as they were made by the talents themselves – and each of the talents has a story to tell, both visually and in writing.
Shannell Bucknor, for example, is like her colleagues Shiloh Bedminister and Mila Grandtner into dance. Born in Jamaica but developing her career on St. Maarten with NIA and the Art Saves Lives foundation, she won a variety of accolades. On the Inter-Caribbean Dance Competition (2023) Shannell won first place in Category 5 with her solo performance “Mirror.” She was also awarded a scholarship for a summer dance intensive in Miami, won the Xtratight Breakthrough Talent 2024 in the Dance Technique and Overall category, and was one of the solo performers at Spotlight Soirée 2025 next to fellow NIA calendar models Bedminister, Grandtner and Nyah Kalmera. Shannell is currently furthering her dance career in New York, at the prestigious Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Seated on Fort Amsterdam, her picture however seems to exude a mixture of painting and drama. She holds an art object in her hands, herself being decorated in artful manner. Bucknor saw the calendar picture series as a creative challenge: “Seeing my art featured on a calendar displayed throughout the island was an incredibly exciting and meaningful experience. I felt truly grateful for the opportunity to represent NIA and to have my work shared with the wider community in Sint Maarten. My friends and family were extremely excited and proud when they discovered my work in different places, which made the experience even more special.”
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