Meet the Sector You Think You Know

Let’s get one thing straight: being a creative isn’t just about holding a paintbrush or dancing in a parade. Aruba’s Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) are made up of people who don’t fit into a single box — and never have.

From tech-savvy animators and cultural researchers to carnival producers, muralists, and indie game developers — Aruba’s creative sector is bigger, bolder, and more diverse than most people realize. And we think it’s time you met them.

Creatives Are More Than Artists — They’re Builders

Creativity in Aruba isn’t a weekend hobby. It’s a career path, a calling, and for many — a survival strategy. Across the island, creatives are:

Designing clothing lines that blend Caribbean identity with global fashion
Shooting films that preserve oral history before it disappears
Writing code for games, apps, and immersive experiences rooted in local stories
Organizing events that put culture on the economic map
Running heritage sites, community studios, and after-school art programs
Selling prints, prints, and more prints — online, in markets, and at pop-ups

These aren’t side hustles. They’re contributions to Aruba’s GDP, cultural identity, and global reputation.

The Stereotypes Are Fading. The Reality Is Clear.

We’re dismantling the old tropes — the idea that “culture” is just a few dancers in a costume or a local artist painting driftwood.

Yes, they’re part of it. But so are:

Cultural researchers who document ancestral knowledge
Sound engineers building export-ready beats from home studios
Restaurateurs creating dishes that tell stories of migration and resilience
Poets, editors, meme-makers, video producers — all shaping the culture we consume daily

If you’ve ever organized, branded, produced, performed, crafted, or coded something that shares, celebrates, or questions identity — you’re part of the sector. Welcome.

Why It Matters to Be Seen (and Counted)

This year, Aruba is conducting its first-ever national Mapping of the Cultural and Creative Industries. It’s a bold move to gather real data on who we are, what we do, and what support we actually need.

If you’re a creative — this is your moment to be seen, heard, and formally recognized.
If you run programs, teach, mentor, or produce — this is your chance to shape future policy.
If you’ve never been sure where you “fit” — you probably do. And we’re building a system that includes you.

How to register

We’ve made it simple. Head over to sign up form for creatives here and take 5 minutes to join the mapping initiative.

It’s free, it’s confidential, and it’s how we start designing a creative economy that actually works for us.

You Are the Industry

Aruba’s creative sector isn’t hiding — it’s just been under-acknowledged, under-measured, and underfunded.

We’re changing that. One story, one voice, one registration at a time.

It’s not just a campaign.

It’s a movement.