SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - Be The Change Foundation (BTC), with the help of local artists, sponsors, and volunteers, has added eight new murals to the Philipsburg area. Over the weekend, the results were officially “unveiled” during an opening tour and breakfast ceremony to celebrate artists and main sponsors of the project.

The project, called @colormesxm, aims to add color and art to St. Maarten through murals, promote local artists, and encourage residents and visitors to explore less-visited areas and share the island's beauty through photographs on social media platforms.

Nine artists helped complete the 8 photo-friendly murals in Philipsburg: Claudio Arnell, Tes & Annabelle Verheij, Nascha Kagie, Lucia Trifan, Jessica Murtha, Adam G, Magueda Jackson & Jimmy 'Mash' Sabas. Over 200 volunteers engaged in the project, helping to prepare, clean, scrape, or paint the walls.

Laura Bijnsdorp, the project coordinator for @colormesxm, shares that: "The Foundation and artists have received an overwhelmingly positive response from the community. We'd like to thank everyone who motivated our artists through compliments, offering refreshments or a helping hand!”

During the opening tour, the artists presented their murals and shared some of the feedback they received from the community. Other attendees of the tour included representatives from the primary funding agency Resources for Community Resilience (R4CR), co-sponsors Dutch Representation Office (VNP), Algemeen Pensioenfonds Sint Maarten & Sherwin Williams, tour company WeAreSXM, guests from the Department of Culture and Ministry of TEATT & local press.

Also present were Kaishah Peters the financial advisor for BTC, and Frances Rovelet from the Down Street Business and Community Council Association, who helped identify available walls in Philipsburg. PPG Paints St. Maarten, Drywall Systems, Tri-Sport, Adam Robb, Bart Van Der Meijden, Armond Solomons, Family Sprott, and several other companies or individuals also contributed to the project – which the Foundation is grateful for.

Since 2020, the @colormesxm project by Be The Change Foundation has helped to add over 20 murals to town. Persons can find these murals through a free map, available on www.colormesxm.com. Signs are also placed next to all the murals on which persons can learn more about the artist, project, and find a QR code to access the projects’ Instagram, map & videos. In addition, the ‘Philipsburg Art Walk’ activity can also be found on TripAdvisor.

The project's first phase focused on Philipsburg, primarily on Front Street, Back Street, and the connecting alleyways. This second phase added murals to the Down Street area. The second phase of this @colormesxm project has been funded by the Government of the Netherlands under the Sint Maarten Trustfund, through Resources for Community Resilience (R4CR), administered by VNGI, overseen by The World Bank.

Besides @colormesxm, Be The Change Foundation executes a number of community efforts throughout the year to support volunteerism and the work of other non-governmental organisations. SXM Doet, scholarships, small grants and beautification projects are a few examples of the Foundation's initiatives over the past years.

Find out more about Be The Change Foundation and @colormesxm on www.bethechangesxm.com & Instagram: @colormesxm

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