Tucked away on a quiet island in Samaná Bay, the luxury five-star all-inclusive Cayo Levantado Resort has ushered in a groundbreaking new cultural initiative, launching the first edition of Atelier Yubarta, an artistic and artisan residency program developed through a strategic partnership between resort owner Piñero and the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Culture.
The core mission of this one-of-a-kind residency is to reimagine Cayo Levantado as a dynamic hub for contemporary artistic creation, one that weaves together three critical threads: the island’s fragile coastal ecosystem, centuries of Dominican cultural heritage, and the vibrant surrounding local communities. Unlike generic artist retreats, the program is rooted in place, centering local voices and encouraging creators to draw inspiration from the natural and cultural landscape that surrounds them.
After opening a national call for applications in July, a panel of industry jurors conducted a rigorous selection process, ultimately naming Nina Francesca Castillo Díaz as the program’s first resident artist. Hailing from Santiago de los Caballeros, Castillo Díaz is a multidisciplinary creative whose practice spans visual art, design, and handcrafted artisan work. Her creative exploration centers on the interconnected relationship between nature, marine biodiversity, and the evolving cultural identity of the Dominican Republic. A hallmark of her work is a commitment to sustainability: she produces wearable art, delicate watercolor miniatures, and sculptural handcrafted pieces almost exclusively using materials recovered from Dominican coastlines, turning ocean waste into meaningful cultural objects.
Over the course of her 8 to 12-week residency, the resort will provide Castillo Díaz with full complimentary accommodation, a dedicated private workspace, all necessary production materials, and ongoing technical guidance from industry professionals. A key requirement of the residency mandates that she develop and lead at least one public engagement activity open to local community members, regional art students, or resort guests, creating a bridge between the creative process and the public.
When the residency concludes, the program will cap off with a hybrid exhibition that combines an in-person display at the resort with a digital showcase accessible to audiences around the world. Importantly, Castillo Díaz will retain full commercial rights to all works created during her time in the program, reflecting the initiative’s commitment to supporting artists’ long-term careers. Three selected works will be added to Piñero’s permanent institutional art collection, ensuring the residency’s legacy is preserved on-site.
Resort leadership emphasized that Atelier Yubarta is designed to grow into a sustained, annual platform for contemporary Dominican art, with broader goals beyond supporting individual creators: advancing national cultural identity, building public environmental awareness, and strengthening mutually beneficial ties between the resort and nearby local communities. This aligns with the property’s existing long-term sustainability commitments, which already include investments in renewable energy infrastructure, comprehensive zero-waste management systems, and native plant landscaping, as well as a deliberate policy of partnering with local designers, architects, and supply chain businesses to embed community support into every layer of operations.