Goals

The goals of Casa Arturo Portobelo are to:

• Provide residents with an opportunity to conduct research in Portobelo, a 16th century Spanish colonial village that was seminal to the historical and cultural development of the African Diaspora in Latin America,

• Serve as a Study Abroad venue for students from colleges and universities throughout the United States,

• Foster an appreciation for the environment, and

• Construct bridges for cultural exchange for students, artists, scholars and environmentalists from the United States and Panama.

Sustainability is seminal to the construction, maintenance and programing at Casa Arturo – Portobelo.  As a result, this project has adopted a radius of 69km (approximately 43miles) as its local labor market thereby contributing to the economic stability of the village of Portobelo.

Additionally, the wood and bamboo used in construction is harvested from trees on the land and building materials are purchased from local vendors in Portobelo and Maria Chiquita while larger items such as appliances, machines and tools are purchased in Colon. 

Casa Arturo – Portobelo is located at Las Orquídeas Environmental Sculpture Park (The Orchids Environmental Sculpture Park), a 13-acre plot of land in a rainforest and on the bay of Portobelo.  Over the years students, artists and environmentalists have used the land and its resources to create environmentally friendly works of art. 

In the near future we will be reviewing proposals from artists and environmentalists to create large scale biodegradable sculptures, earthworks and art installations at Las Orquídeas Environmental Sculpture Park.