The Mariposa Foundation, DR in Cabarete, Dominican Republic, invited me back in November 2017, to collaborate with a LOT of people! The Mariposa Foundation, DR works to end generational poverty by investing in the lives of girls. I worked with the Mariposa Foundation in 2015 to lead girls at the Center in creating 2 mosaic portraits; one of Dominican hero, Mama Tingo, and one of American hero, Harriet Tubman. This time, I teamed up with Xaivier Ringer, an accomplished mural painter living in the DR. We assembled and composed the ideas of the 14 & 15 year old Mariposa girls, who had been studying about their community and its values. The Mariposa girls learned clay tile making skills with me, and painting with Xaivier. They then helped 400 pre-K through 6th graders make tiles for, and 100 7th & 8th graders paint, the wall of their new elementary school.

“Siembra tu Futuro” – “Sow your Future” was one of the themes the Mariposa girls wanted to see in the mural. There is a painted panel where a girl plants a mango tree. Many students made mangoes and leaves out of clay. Together we created a tree where a girl reaches up to pick the ripe fruit. The painting of the mural was not yet complete when I left last weekend, but it is planned to be complete next weekend, in time for a celebration with the US Embassy, that helped fund the project. I will update you with more photos as they come in.