After the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama I returned home to see what I could do to contribute to the healing and rebuilding of my homeland and, in so doing, I found the child I left behind.  

I was a reluctant immigrant at age 12 when my family migrated to Brooklyn, NY for better educational opportunities for my brother and me.  To make the voyage palpable I convinced my preadolescent mind that I was on an adventure in search of a good education and promised that I would return to contribute to Panama’s development as an educated adult.  To insure my return, part of me remained on the docks as the boat sailed away from my beloved hometown of Colon. 

The building of Casa Arturo – Portobelo is the realization of the promise I made as a 12-year-old boy.  To date I have invested my personal savings to purchase the land and a boat as well as to build the first floor of the house and a depository.  I am now raising funds to build the dock, an outdoor studio and a caretaker's house thereby completing Phase I of this construction by the end of 2016 and begin a residency program.