Contributors in Issue 3
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Lucinda 'La Rich' Audain
Lucinda “La Rich” Audain is a St. Maarten artist, arts entrepreneur and mentor whose quiet fire has shaped the island’s cultural landscape for two decades.
Mentored by the legendary Ruby Bute, she moved from early exhibitions to bold body art and founded LaRich Arts and Funtopia, merging performance, youth development, and heritage. Through the Soualigan Giants stilt-walkers, she helps young people reclaim identity and pride. A poet and painter returning to her own practice, she champions art as identity, mental health, and nation-building.
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@funtopia_sxm on Instagram
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Christopher Raghunauth
Born on the vibrant island of Trinidad and raised amid the stunning beauty of St. Maarten Christopher is a photographer driven by a passion for creative concepts, portrait photography, and the natural landscapes that inspire his lens. He is based on Sint Maarten and his work blends artistic vision with the rich cultural and scenic essence of the Caribbean, capturing authentic moments and unique perspectives. When he is not taking stunning photos, he is enjoying local food or plane spotting at Sint Maarten’s best locations around the Princess Juliana International Airport.
Christopher’s creative work can be found on either his online portfolio, Christopher Raghunauth Productions, or his social media account CRP_721Media, where visitors can browse or contact him directly for bookings.
Artem Del
Born in St. Maarten, Artem Del is a poet, spoken word artist, and photographer. She has been writing since the age of 12 and uses poetry as a tool for self-discovery and healing.
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Since August 2024, she has led workshops at Axum Art Cafe — aiming to make poetry feel like an approachable art that anyone can do while tackling common misconceptions. The goal is let people know that "Anyone Can Write".
IG: www.instagram.com/graveyardverses
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Daniella Simmons
Raised on St. Maarten with Saban and Trinidadian roots, Daniella Simmons is an emerging illustrator studying at the Willem de Kooning Academy in the Netherlands, she blends watercolor foundations—shaped by early guidance from her grandmother Carmen Simmons—with collage, gouache, acrylic textures, and clean digital finishes.
Recent work explores children’s illustration and poster design, carving space for Caribbean narratives on international stages. Find her as @artfairydani.
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Angelita Peterson
Angelita Peterson is a self-taught visual artist from Saba, Dutch Caribbean, who has painted since 2008. Her Caribbean love shines through flora, fauna, and underwater scenes, layered with symbolism and an evolving style shaped by the belief that life catalyzes creativity. Working primarily in watercolor for its spontaneity and translucence, she also paints in oils and experiments with textured surfaces.
She has exhibited for the Dutch Royal Family on Saba and in St. Barths; her work appears in collections in the USA, the Netherlands, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, and Saba.
Laura Bijnsdorp & Melanie Choisy
@ColorMeSXM is a public art project founded by Laura Bijnsdorp & Melanie Choisy through the Be The Change Foundation, which is aimed at revitalising Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. This is done with the assistance of artists and the use of murals. Since its start in 2020, the initiative has grown to feature over 24+ murals by both local and regional artists.
The murals share stories tied to the island’s culture, people, or natural beauty. Additionally, they form part of the self-guided ‘Philipsburg Art Walk’ with a downloadable map available at: www.bethechangesxm.com/colormesxm. Each mural also features a plaque with the artists’ information and a QR code, encouraging visitors to share their mural photos by tagging @colormesxm and using social media tags such as: #sxm #philipsburg.
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Eduardo 'Nico' Mercelina Burgos
Eduardo Mercelina Burgos, best known as Nico, was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in St. Maarten from the age of six years old, where the island’s vibrant spirit shaped his artistic identity. A multilingual artist fluent in four languages. As a Creative Director, dancer, choreographer, actor, model, and yoga instructor, Nico’s work weaves together culture, movement, and healing.
From choreographing Carnival troupes, Directing music videos, to portraying abolitionist Auguste François Perinon on stage, his art honors heritage and empowers expression. Nico is committed to creating spaces that uplift and inspire, Where people can move freely, live boldly, and connect deeply with their most authentic selves.
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Aimee Thielman
Aimee S. Thielman is a writer, home cook, and mental-health advocate. As a stay-at-home mom navigating chronic pain and illness, she turns to the kitchen for comfort and to writing for clarity.
Through recipes, reflections, and real talk, Aimee builds a welcoming space for anyone who loves good food and honest dialogue about wellness while she pursues her goal of becoming a published author.
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Follow Aimee: @asthielman on all IG, Tiktok and Youtube.
Kamal De Freitas
Kamal De Freitas is an alumni of the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and former artist and photographer from the humble island of Sint Maarten.
In 2019, after realizing that writing too is an art he began work on what would evolve into his first book series focused on themes of tribalism, colonization and rebellion; an epic dedicated to the folklore and mythos of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora.
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Purchase the Nagamaya Saga on Amazon:
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Jan Bant
Jan Bant is a PhD Candidate at Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands and a visiting scholar at the University of Curaçao Research Institute (UCRI) of the University of Curaçao.
In his dissertation, he studies how baseball and softball influenced processes of migration, belonging and identity formation within Dutch Caribbean communities in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Before beginning his doctoral studies, Bant completed degrees in Philosophy, American Studies, and History.