The Marriott Aruba Resort & Stellaris Casino hosted a casual cocktail party and art auction last week, bringing together Dutch and Aruban artists and art lovers. It was organized by the directopr of sales marcus Muller and entertained members of White Elephant, a Dutch foundation, leaders of the artists community here, handicapped advocate Tuyo Werleman, the Minister of Culture and students of Man na Obra, a local learning institute for mentally handicapped adults.
White Elephant is a not-for-profit foundation in Holland dedicated to the encouragement of artistic expression in the handicapped population. Representatives of the foundation visited the island and hosted a work shop which was headquartered at the Mill Resort & Suites.
On this side of the ocean, Aruba's premier artist Goustave Nouel and the tireless Maria Teresa Wever, also a gifted artist, have been working in conjunction with education professional Elvira Tromp, to identify gifted handicapped Arubans and facilitate an art work shop for them in cooperation with visiting handicapped Dutch, under the umbrella of White Elephant.
Last week, their efforts came to fruition as eight Arubans and four Dutch nationals enjoyed the hospitality of the Mill Resort & Suites and experienced creative opportunities to set their inner artist free. The amazing works of art they produced were showcased at the Marriott Aruba Resort & Stellaris Casino in the final cocktail party, award ceremony and auction.
An emotional Tromp reports the works of art which cropped up as a result of the experience at Scol Man Na Obra, are exceptional. At the party, the local press met the budding Aruban and Dutch artists, some of them speech impaired but all exuberant and enthusiastic over the discovery of paints and colors.
