Urban Wilderness in Nicaragua

I've been AWOL for a couple of weeks. But I have a good excuse: I've been out of the country. In Nicaragua to be exact. Over the past ten years my wife, Lynn, has developed a regular working relationship with a non-profit organization in Managua called Cantera. The mission of Cantera is to build a more just, equitable and sustainable society through holistic community development using the methodology of Popular Education. This year Cantera invited me to accompany Lynn in the capacity of artist in residence for a two-week period. We just returned last night.

Managua has little in the way of urban park infrastructure, but I managed to make a few photographs that I hope capture a little of the yin and yang of Nicaragua. On the one hand it is a tropical land with abundant natural beauty and on the other it is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere (after Haiti.) Here is a here is one of two initial selections of photos. The other set can be seen on my Arts Without Borders blog.

 The sign overlooking Lake Managua (which is severely polluted) reads "respect Mother Earth."

To see a different selection of photos from the residency go to Arts Without Borders.