More than twenty local Carnival costume designers and builders participated in a two-week workshop aimed at improving their already remarkable skills.

The “Mas Making Magic: From Vision to Costume” was a hands-on costume design workshop that blended imagination, innovation, and tradition as part of the 2025 Spotlight Taiwan Project, and was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of China (Taiwan). This was the fourth consecutive year that Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture has partnered with the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF) in an artistic way that bridges both cultures.

Participants in the workshop included representatives of national and community Carnival groups. The workshop was facilitated by Ms. Hsienyu Chuang, an accomplished Taiwanese artist who has more than 20 years of expertise in designing and making traditional large-scale lanterns.

The programme ran from Monday, August 25, 2025, to Tuesday, September 16, culminating in a public exhibition on Wednesday, September 17. The first part of the workshop was preceded by an 8-hour virtual workshop, during which designers of Carnival costumes from the local Mas camps and tents were able to explore the techniques of lantern-making tradition.

Over the course of the workshop, the participants combined ideas, sketches and raw materials to transform them into artistry, imagination, and innovation, creating costumes filled with tradition and new technology. Each group was tasked with designing and building a costume.

During the closing ceremony held on the evening of Wednesday, September 17, 2025, on the National Cultural Centre lawn, participants received certificates and high praise for their outstanding efforts in transforming what they learned into group projects.

H.E. Nicole Su, Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia, recalled her first conversation with Hon. Dr. Ernest Hilaire, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Creative Industries and Culture, in February this year. The heavy structure of the King and Queen of the Bands costumes, she said, triggered the idea of sharing the traditional Taiwanese lantern-making techniques experience with local artisans.

Ambassador Su congratulated the participants from the workshop, noting that it is truly amazing to see them bring to life their vibrant imagination into beautiful Carnival costumes: “You not only applied the LED lighting and motor skills shared by our facilitator, Ms. Hsienyu Chuang, but you also filled these creations with the artistry unique to Saint Lucia. I saw banana leaves, I saw the beer, the bird, the goddess wings — it felt like the whole island was here with us tonight!”

Ambassador Su said it was especially inspiring to see experienced artists — including Mr. Adrian Augier and Mr. Giovanni St. Omer — join the workshop and share their expertise with fellow participants.

“That is the true spirit of Saint Lucia — creativity and collaboration at its finest,” she said. “You should all be very proud of yourselves. I was told that many of you came after long hours of work, some of you even brought your children along, and many stayed late into the evenings and weekends. This dedication demonstrates your deep passion for Carnival costume-making.”

Ambassador Su thanked the Cultural Development Foundation team, led by Ms. Raymona Henry-Wynne, with Ms. Tracy Dolcy and Mr. Anthony Wilkie, noting that their efforts in organizing the workshop and supporting the facilitator and participants made it a true success.

She also thanked Hon. Dr. Hilaire for his vision in making the workshop possible. During his visit to Taiwan in early September, she said he went to Ms. Chuang’s studio, showing a real passion for Carnival.

“He has truly laid the foundation for future cultural collaboration between our two countries,” she stated.

Ambassador Su also thanked the workshop facilitator, Ms. Chuang, who generously shared her skills and experience. In addition to the workshop, Ms. Chuang visited the Leon Hess Secondary School to teach the students there, using wire to design accessories such as earrings and pendants for necklaces.

Hon. Dr. Ernest Hilaire, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Information, thanked the Government and people of Taiwan for making the workshop possible. He recalled a visit to Taiwan a few days ago and seeing how Taiwanese designers introduced mechanics, pyrotechnics, and movements into their costumes.

“I thought about how we can incorporate some of that into what we do in Saint Lucia,” he said. “Not just for Carnival – it’s really learning an art form that is combined with science. The use of technology and physics and mechanics can be for weddings and celebrations.”

With Saint Lucia being the number one destination for honeymoons globally and a leading destination for weddings, Hon. Dr. Hilaire explained that enhancing and amplifying the décor for weddings can be achieved by using some of the skills that were shared during the workshop.

“If we can get more Saint Lucians acquiring these skills, it would certainly be a plus,” he said. “When you add to that the fact that there has been a constant call for more production to take place in Saint Lucia, that too much of the Carnival costumes come from the outside. If we can revive the experiences of Mas camps where, in years past, you had so many Mas men who had skills and produced a lot of what is used during the Carnival season.”

Mrs. Raymona Henry-Wynne, Executive Director of the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF), congratulated the workshop facilitator, participants and CDF team for organizing and executing the workshop successfully. She also thanked Hon. Dr. Hilaire for his visionary leadership.

“Today is the beginning of a journey that was birthed out of an idea that came from our very own Minister, who during the Carnival season, thought that there was room for us to do a lot more,” Henry-Wynne explained. “Out of this idea, this workshop was birth. We applied to Spotlight Taiwan and got favourable response.”

She added: “The workshop ran for ten face-to-face sessions and about four or five virtual sessions. Today, we are very pleased at what we are seeing: the display of artistry, creativity, culture, and craftsmanship.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Jenella Gaston, President of the Carnival Bands Association, noted that the workshop attracted both seasoned and new costume designers and builders. She added that participants learned skills such as wire bending, how to use motors and LED lights to assist with better presentations, welding, and other creative techniques.