St. Martin Creatives Guild to host first general meeting, uniting Island’s creative community

GREAT BAY--The St. Martin Creatives Guild will host its first Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, December 13, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm at the Government Administration Building, marking a significant milestone in the formal organization of the island’s creative sector.

The AGM will be the first official gathering of the Guild’s membership, bringing St. Martin’s creative workers together as a unified body with structure, purpose and a shared vision. During the meeting, members will elect the Guild’s first official board, ratify its founding documents and help set the direction of the organization for 2026 and beyond.

The Guild has been guided through its formative years by a foundational board of three members, reduced from an original five, who have worked on drafting statutes, defining the Guild’s identity and preparing the framework for a member-driven organization. That groundwork has now led to a growing membership base of more than 50 creatives, representing the full range of St. Martin’s artistic landscape.

Membership figures reflect the diversity of the sector. Performing artists, including musicians, dancers and actors, currently form the largest group, with 25 members. Visual artists, such as painters, sculptors and photographers, are also strongly represented. The Guild counts 19 writers and poets among its members, along with 19 digital creators working in animation, video, design and multimedia arts. Additional members include craftspeople, fashion stylists, culinary innovators, designers, sound engineers and other professionals, each contributing to St. Martin’s creative identity.

Positioning itself within the global Orange Economy, the St. Martin Creatives Guild aims to act not only as an association but as a professional network and advocacy body for the cultural and creative industries.

The mission of the Guild is to advance the social, economic and cultural wellbeing of artists and performers. Key objectives include:

• Supporting fair wages and decent work conditions
• Promoting access to benefits and safe creative workplaces
• Providing legal guidance and professional resources
• Strengthening relationships within and across creative industries
• Ensuring that independent, often unrecognized or undervalued artists have representation and structured support

The Guild also seeks to build unity across disciplines, so creatives can organize collectively, negotiate, influence policy and participate in shaping St. Martin’s cultural and economic future.

The phrase “It’s finally here,” which opens the Guild’s welcome message to members, reflects the long-held desire among artists and cultural workers to have a structured, collective voice on the island. The organization now passes into the hands of a new generation of storytellers, makers and innovators who will carry this work forward.

The St. Martin Creatives Guild represents more than individual artistic practices. It embodies potential, independence and economic opportunity, as well as a community ready to stand together, build together and create together.

The first AGM on Saturday, December 13 at 2:00 pm is expected to mark the beginning of a new chapter not only for the island’s artists, but for St. Martin as a whole.

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