Viveros, Cuá and Linda Vista

Four JEM communities have tree nurseries, which hold an important role in getting teenagers involved in reforestation projects. Time unfortunately only allowed me to work in two of these viveros, in Linda Vista and Cuá. What you see here is creative signage that calls attention to their work. I contracted the carpentry skills of a JEM member to cut the wood, which we then transported to the communities where we had discussions and painted the signs.


In Linda Vista (Pretty View) I arrived in the middle of a community meeting, which was perfect since it made the project really collaborative. Many had suggestions about the use of the signage and gave their input on what it should say. Throughout the day adults came to oversee the work of the teenagers and later helped find posts and raise the sign. We gave the sign double purpose, using it at the entrance to the community and as a way to call attention to the youth’s nearby tree nursery. The wood was cut into the silhouette of Volcano Tacaná, mimicking the same view seen from Linda Vista. In the image you can see the difference between the community’s original sign and the one we made with the materials from ArtCorps. The sign reads, Welcome, Center of Integral Formation, Linda Vista and Forest Nursery, Jóvenes en la Misión, Nature—to be dominated—should be obeyed.


For Cuá I designed a sign made up of two trees that would hang over the narrow entrance to the tree nursery, which you would walk underneath. The youth decided to not place the sign in this location, but in a more visible area near the street. Unfortunately my busy schedule at the end of my residency didn’t allow time for me to return to see it hung up. The kids painted in the large colorful trees, and after brainstorming they voted on what they wanted it to say. It reads, Youth Tree Nursery, Jóvenes en la Misión strengthening our mountains with more trees and Cuá, the place of water, Let’s Conserve It!