~ With Hurricane of Happenings Foundation ~
By Laura Bijnsdorp
“After Hurricane Irma, I figured the best way I could help out was through art,” says artist and art teacher Astrid Schrage.
Astrid started Hurricane of Happenings Foundation a few weeks after Irma hit the island. Her idea was to lift moral through text and visuals. Last weekend, with the help of some dedicated young volunteers, the foundation painted two huge walls surrounding the basketball court at the St. Peters community centre.
Astrid: “I think the most rewarding part has been the many compliments we have gotten from residents in the neighbourhood – some who also decided to help out!”
Tell us more about Hurricane of Happenings Foundation.
After the hurricane, I was trying to figure out how to help out. Art has always been my go-to whenever I was going through a hard time, so it was natural for me to choose that as a tool. Due to the circumstances, there are of course a lot of sad, disappointed, scared and other negative emotions on the island. I especially was confronted with these emotions in the classroom with my students. Thus, Hurricane of Happenings Foundation was founded with its main goal to spread positivity amongst Sint Maarten’s society by using the power of words and images. We do this by setting up creative and artistic projects aiming to bring back hope and happiness in the streets of Sint Maarten.
How are you going to accomplish this?
With many murals and a few other surprises! Initially, we actually started with T-shirts. The T-shirt designs featured large motivational texts. We donated many of these to kids on the island and sold an amount in the Netherlands to raise money. The mural, which we are painting today at the St. Peters basketball court, is the first of more to come. Caroline van Oost, my partner in this project, has been integral in completing this mural. Together we also really enjoyed the idea of creating murals because it might inspire more to do the same. Projects such as this one are easy for anyone to put together!
Why murals?
Murals are a great way to beautify a neighbourhood. Having a clean and pleasant environment has a direct effect on their feelings and behaviour. The St. Peters basketball court was in a pretty bad state after Hurricane Irma. During SXM Doet, the court was cleaned and repainted. However, it still needs a lot of love to be fully functional to the neighbourhood. My friend Caroline, who volunteered as a project manager during SXM Doet, told me about the wall and her wish to further fix up the basketball court and surroundings. The mural is our addition to this and we hope that someone else in the community can take the initiative to further fix her up.
Tell us more about the idea behind the design of this mural.
One wall features the words: “Love Unite Rebuild Rise”. I think that those words depict everything we need to do after such a catastrophe. On the second wall, the youngsters that came out to volunteer were instructed to paint their favourite island animal. I think everyone has an animal they can connect with, that makes them feel happy.
Lastly, a talented student of mine, Aziza Vanterpool, is adding in a gorgeous portrait. A similar portrait design of hers actually won the FCCA art-competition this year. She was selected as best artist over the whole Caribbean! Due to the aftermath of the storm, her accomplishment was not celebrated, as it should have. So I think she deserves a prominent spot to showcase her talent.
Who are some of your partners?
We have received funding from many caring individuals in the Netherlands and here on Sint Maarten. Caroline got in contact with the Lions Club, who funded most of the paint we are using today to paint the mural. Besides funding, our volunteers of course are key to accomplishing our projects. We have volunteers from the Sint Maarten Youth Brigade, MPC staff and students; and St. Peter’s residents come out for multiple days to complete the mural in St. Peters. I also want to specially mention Minke-Anna Scheltema and Daphne Prevoo, who are also art teachers at MPC. They played a special part in helping to complete this project.
What have some of the reactions been thus far in the neighbourhood?
The reactions are very positive! Residents that pass by have expressed their thankfulness and that they are happy to see that we care about their neighbourhood. Best yet is that a few also joined in on the painting of the mural!
Where can we learn more about Hurricane of Happenings?
Just go to www.hurricaneofhappenings.com
