Art at Boardwalk
At Boardwalk we hope to inspire you to explore and discover the destination, connect with the various culinary and cultural aspects of Aruba, it’s people, nature and heritage by integrating stories and scenes of Aruba’s nature and history into the décor of your private casita. The colorful art that you will encounter during your stay at Boardwalk, in our Lobby Shop and in all individually designed casitas is created by local artists. And it’s not just a pretty painting on the wall or a fun souvenir to take home; there’s meaning and thought behind all art you will encounter at Boardwalk.
Hand painted murals
Let’s start with a true eye-catcher.
When booking our Coco Casita Deluxe, not only can you experience an additional outdoor shower that is unique to this room category, you’ll also be waking up to magnificent scenes from Aruba’s nature. Each of our four Coco Casita Deluxe accommodations features a bedroom wall adorned with a hand painted mural.
How …
During a six-week period Mexican artist Tana Gaxiola (Guadalajara) created four unique murals, each depicting various scenes of Aruba’s flora and fauna. If you’re interested in more backgrounds on the making of this unique and handcrafted mural project, read it here.
Artwork reflecting the Coconut Plantation History
The larger paintings that don the walls of our casitas are inspired by our grounds. Before Boardwalk opened its doors over 30 years ago, the grounds of our current location were used as an active coconut plantation.
The history of this terrain, named Plantage Tromp, goes back over one hundred years. You can read more about this fascinating story here. In 2014 Boardwalk commissioned various renowned local artists such as Claudia Nooren Ruiz-Vasquez, Elisa Lejuez, Nigel Matthew and Fernando Vermeer to translate the palm fringed environs of Boardwalk and its history as Plantage Tromp into colorful art.
Arte Sano, art as therapy with a mission to do good
The smaller art works you’ll find on the walls in your private casita, and for sale in our tiny gift shop in the Lobby, are partly created by participants in the Arte Sano program. The aim of the Arte Sano foundation is to provide meaningful work to local citizen that are at risk or have a distance to society and the labour market in an attempt to offer reintegration into the community.
Boardwalk’s conceptial designer Claudia Nooren – Ruiz Vasquez is in charge of the interior design of all casitas and public areas, and also has a leading role at the Arte Sano foundation, volunteering her time to the arts and the wellbeing of our local community. You will recognize the Arte Sano artworks by their size and all are hand painted. The other smaller works are photographs depicting Aruba’s cultural heritage. In our Lobby Store you will find a selection of arts & crafts created by Arte Sano clients; other gifts and souvenirs such as local art and hand made jewelry are created by local artists, and even our own staff. Read more here.
