Let’s be honest — we’ve been building brilliance in the dark.

Aruba’s cultural and creative sector has been working, thriving, and evolving for decades… without clear data, without national coordination, and without a map.

We’ve had the talent. We’ve had the drive. But what we didn’t have — until now — was a way to track where we are, how far we’ve come, and where we need to go next.

That’s why Go Cultura Foundation launched the Cultural Cartography Initiative — Aruba’s first national effort to map our Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI). And no, we’re not talking about a glossy brochure or an arts directory.

This is a full-blown strategic navigation system.

Why We Started This Mapping Project

Because you can’t fund what you don’t count.

You can’t grow what you don’t measure.

And you definitely can’t defend what you can’t describe.

When we launched the initiative in April 2022, we knew we weren’t just conducting a study — we were making the invisible visible. This project is about:

Understanding the real size, diversity, and economic potential of Aruba’s CCIs
Gathering solid data that can inform policy, investment, and education
Recognizing creatives as a formal sector, not a hobby club
Giving government, funders, and the public a reason to stop overlooking culture — and start investing in it strategically

The Methodology: Local Roots, Global Standards

We didn’t start from scratch — but we didn’t copy-paste either. Inspired by successful models in Colombia, the Caribbean, and the Nordic region, Aruba’s mapping initiative was customized to fit our island’s size, complexity, and cultural nuances.

Here’s what it looks like in practice:

8 distinct creative subsectors defined — from performing arts to gaming and cultural heritage
Surveys, interviews, and sector workshops rolled out island-wide
A combined lens of quantitative data + lived experiences
Mapping led by local researchers, trained in international standards
Co-created with stakeholders: artists, educators, entrepreneurs, government, and NGOs

This isn’t a desk study. This is the sector mapping itself.

What We’ve Learned So Far

Spoiler: there’s more creative energy in Aruba than most people ever imagined.

Creatives are working across formal and informal spaces
Cultural work is happening in education, tourism, tech, wellness, and heritage
Many practitioners don’t realize they’re part of a defined “sector” — yet they are
The demand for visibility, training, funding, and fair pay is loud and clear

But here’s the big one:

The sector is ready to be taken seriously — and it’s willing to do the work.

What Happens Next?

We’re in the Data Collection phase now (July–September 2025). Here’s what’s coming:

October–November 2025: Data analysis and creative sector profiles
December 2025: Pre-launch briefings and public presentations
February 2026: Official Mapping Report Launch at CreActivo Conference

And after that? A new era of evidence-based advocacy, strategic investment, and policy alignment for Aruba’s cultural and creative future.

How can you be part of it?

Are you a creative or cultural worker?
Do you run a business, workshop, studio, band, or solo practice?
Do you code, craft, produce, design, write, perform, or curate?

Then register.

Be counted.

Be mapped.

Be part of shaping the strategy that shapes the future.

👉 Register now at gocultura.org/register

Because Aruba deserves more than assumptions.