Conservation through art and culture
ESTUARY It recognizes the need to find creative ways to further engage citizens in the process of developing a resilient watershed. Every year since 2018, we have invited artists to submit project proposals that facilitate community connection and experimentation with the estuary through art.
Art is a type of social capital that allows access to the diverse population living in the estuary basin (Wong and Brown, 2009). Furthermore, knowledge gained through experience enhances decision-making capacity and has been directly linked to environmental conservation.
Therefore, we believe that art is a fundamental strategy for sharing knowledge and we integrate it into our community engagement initiatives.
Estuary Artist in Residence 2025: Antonio Martorell and Friends
This year, the Estuary Art Residency invites us to embark on a journey of collective creation, environmental awareness, and community transformation alongside the renowned artist Antonio Martorell and his friends. Their project focuses on the Juan Méndez ravine, a channeled urban waterway that flows through diverse neighborhoods and landscapes in the San Juan metropolitan area, carrying with it stories, culture, beauty, and also ecological crises.
“My friends from Taller de La Playa in Ponce and I have the privilege of being resident artists of the San Juan Bay Estuary, where we hold community workshops with residents focusing on the theme of water, its use and conservation.
From the mountains to the coast, we explore, through drawing, papermaking, marbling, textiles, photography, and video, among other crafts, the value of our precious lifeblood. It is a revealing experience of the importance of water conservation for the life of our archipelago.” – Antonio Martorell
The residency aims to raise awareness about water quality and ecosystem health through participatory artistic processes. Through a series of community workshops, the experiences of those living in the stream basin and estuary are documented and imagined to give shape to a creative body of work that reflects both its complexity and its hope.
“The project will serve as a connecting force within the community through its dissemination. It will be developed in a language that facilitates its use as an alternative educational resource. It will foster the self-esteem of residents in the communities surrounding the Juan Méndez ravine, identifying them with art and creation as paths to knowledge.” – Antonio Martorell
During a six-month period beginning in July 2025, estuarine communities will participate in workshops exploring photography, botanical printing (eco printing), literature, textile jewelry, music, theater, and other disciplines. These workshops not only produce art, but also foster connections with the estuary ecosystem, shared knowledge, and safe spaces for self-expression.
Among the collaborating spaces are:
- Caimito Cultural Center
- La Goyco Community Workshop (Santurce)
- Group of 8 Communities Surrounding the Martín Peña Canal
- Puente Blanco Organizado Inc. (Cataño)
- Capetillo's Orchard, Nursery and Urban Forest
The process will culminate in three main components:
- A video documentary.
- A printed publication that will serve as a record and educational tool.
- An exhibition as a visual echo of the collaboration between art, community and environment.
With this proposal, Martorell and his Friends of the Beach Workshop seek more than just visibility: they seek for art to be a channel, mirror and engine of transformation.
Virtual Exhibition – Estuary Resident Artists 2023
Exhibition of Previous Residences
