“Buenezas - Little Haiti Guide” is a project that consisted of a series of workshops, panels and activities addressing the topic of naturally growing local weeds and their ancestrally known— but unfortunately forgotten— benefits.

We met, identified and worked with edible weeds (“buenezas”) around Little Haiti and learned how to use all the components of different tropical plants to create natural dyeseasy-to-prepare meals, natural fibers, medicine and art.

These weeds, which grow at our door and which we unfortunately neglect or ignore, are nevertheless more nutritious than any food found in the store, and they grow abundantly without any effort.

By better understanding our natural surroundings and learning that everything in nature is interconnected—including us—we can conceptualize food and nutrition differently and aim to locally democratize the concept of food sovereignty.

To download the Guide press Here!

“Canto al arbol” is a series of workshops led by local grandmothers and musicians of different backgrounds, including elders I’ve met through urban farm work; I invited my own grandmother, Alecia Castillo, a Venezuelan artist who played the piano in all the classes, helping us learn the compositions of the songs. This series is part of a larger project called “La Casa de la abuela”.

Hosts are invited to share information and anecdotes about the medicinal, edible, and otherwise meaningful properties of trees of their own choosing. Together, workshop participants and hosts documented the information as songs—in the spirit of Latin American musical storytelling formats, such as coplas and plenas through which such knowledge has traditionally been shared.

We will compile the songs into a book that celebrates this tree/abuela wisdom.

This is an intergenerational project, existing outside institutional spaces, it is meant to be as accessible as possible. I want to inspire other artists to collaborate and engage with their families and neighbors, and to understand both our elders and non-humans as great teachers—especially now, when we need to rethink and rebuild our current knowledge systems. With this project, we will preserve traditional cultural practices as a form of resistance and empowerment. Our intention is to support the ongoing movement to break from the anthropocentrism by which our culture lives.