Murals: Dominican Republic Reciclada

The MuralsEngage Reciclada program sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo is designed to connect U.S. artists with Dominican artists and communities. The Ciudad Reciclada Project is a program carried out with the participation of students and members of a determined neighborhood, characterized by their high environmental vulnerability, who are trained on the subject, learn recycling techniques and, with solid waste collected, carry out a process of public art, bearer of an educational message.

In this version, the program had the support of the United States Embassy in Santo Domingo, Meridian International Center and Centro Leon with the participation of North American artists, Joel Bergner and Max Frieder, and local Dominican artists Alexis Valerio, D’Troya Lion and Junior Valerio.

The project took place in San Pedro Nolasco School and High school in the Community of Rafey, Santiago, Dominican Republic. It was located at 1, 5 mille of the Rafey Dump and across the street of the Correctional and Rehabilitation Center for Men of Rafey. This school has students from 1st to 12th grade. The main occupation of the students’s families are workers of the free trade industries and a few buzos (waste divers) of the Rafey’s Dump, which make a living classifying solid waste and selling it to companies. The project included 30 students from 14 to 18 years old, belonging mostly to the high school. Since April 23th to May 5th, 2017.

The project started with the meeting of the North American artists and the local artist at Centro Leon, afterwards a visit to the School and to the Rafey’s Dump to get to know the area. The program of the project involved an introductory workshop by the all artists and a specialist from Centro Leon with the 30 students and teachers at Centro León, a visit to the museum, a visit to the Rafey’s Dump with the students to select the waste for the mural, participation of the students in the Talk of the artists Joel Bergner and Max Frieder held in Centro León with the participation of a representative of the United States Embassy in Santo Domingo, percussion workshop by Max Frieder and assisted by D’ Troya Lion, and Mural Painting Workshops, to conclude with a mural of 816,43 square feet which assimilates waste, can be used as an instrument to play music and carries a message of integration, culture, tradition, respect for the nature, hope and dreams of the students for their community and their lives.