The Cultural Development Foundation (CDF) in partnership with the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) and the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund (SSDF), hosted a graduation ceremony Tuesday for participants of the Business of the Arts program, a year-long joint initiative aimed at equipping creatives with the skills to transform their passion into profitable and sustainable careers.
Funded by the Caribbean Development Bank through the SSDF, the program offered participants comprehensive training in entrepreneurship, marketing, finance and business planning. It also focused on the importance of professionalism in the arts, preparing graduates to navigate Saint Lucia’s growing creative sector with confidence and competence.
The graduation comes at a pivotal time, as the SSDF and CDF collaborate to launch a state-of-the-art recording studio designed to give young people access to affordable music production facilities. This venture is expected to create new opportunities for budding musicians while strengthening the infrastructure of the island’s cultural industries.
Delivering the keynote address, cultural activist Mr. Adrien Augier reminded graduates that pursuing a career in the arts requires both talent and discipline. “The business of the arts is a serious one,” he asserted. “It’s work. It’s 40% talent at most and 60% work at least. If you are going to be sustainable, if you are going to be successful, if you are going to achieve the level of competence that you deserve – and you only deserve what you put in – then it really is hours and hours of developing your craft but also developing your intellect.” He challenged the cohort to envision a Saint Lucia where “accomplishment in the arts is not the rare exception but actually the abundant rule.”
Graduate Ms. Leni Alcindor reflected on the journey, calling it life-changing. “This one-year journey was more than a crash course in management, marketing, finance and business planning, it was a deep dive into how we as creatives can transform passion into professionalism and most importantly into purpose,” she said. “This program made clear that our talents are not just weekend hobbies, they are enterprises to build on.”
In his remarks, CDF Chairman Mr. Darwin Guard emphasized the importance of formal recognition for individuals in the creative sector. “For us certification is big… the only way we can develop standards is by certification and creating certification for our artists. So that when they present themselves out there, in terms of whether it be business or wanting to further [their] studies, there is a form of certification.”
These graduates now stand better prepared to elevate Saint Lucia’s cultural economy through their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.