I had the unparalleled honor to curate and produce “Paisajes Sonoros,” a retrospective exhibit of maestro Joaquín Orellana’s life and work. This Guatemalan composer has created dozens of haunting and unique pieces throughout his life, all of which invoke Guatemala’s social spheres, physical environs, and political struggles. To do this, Orellana invented his “sound utensils” … More curated and produced: joaquín orellana’s paisajes sonoros

New Roots Foundation has been working with 22 communities across the Laguna Brava watershed for decades. To better inform several ecotourism projects that are currently in development, I traveled to the far reaches of Huehuetenango to get to document how the lakeside communities are navigating the recent tourism boom.  From this trip we were able … More survey trip to laguna brava

Co-designed this unique space with Mitchell Denburg, President of New Roots Foundation. Felisa Café is the “museum café” located in the front garden of La Nueva Fábrica, and is one of the first things guests see upon entering. The concept was for two chicken buses (the traditional public transportation in Guatemala) to appear as if … More felisa café: spatial and graphic design

When we started conceptualizing the “gift shop” at La Nueva Fábrica, we recognized the desire to do something completely different from the gift shops already found across Antigua. We wanted to provide a space to elevate Guatemalan artisans doing something truly different, local brands that represented high-quality design, and businesses that positively impact local artists, … More the design store at la nueva fábrica

Oversaw the plan and execution for our massive opening party, which received over 500 guests and was the most talked-about event of the season, as well as finalizing the space. This included coordinating designs and construction of the garden, the store, the bathrooms, the café, and the two latest exhibitions. It likewise included the design … More grand opening: la nueva fábrica

Traveled to Eindhoven, The Netherlands, for the incredible Dutch Design Week shows, exhibitions, open studios, and conferences.

Thanks to a new partnership with the Rainforest Alliance in Guatemala, New Roots Foundation is able to connect ecotourism, reforestation, and sustainable forest management projects with parallel projects in other regions of Guatemala. The NRF executive team traveled to Petén with Rainforest Alliance leadership to for several days to explore sustainable agroforestry, harvesting certified forest … More knowledge-sharing trip with the rainforest alliance

Participated as an actress in the Aguacatón de Oro film-making festival and competition. The short film was selected as a top finalist.

For the 2018 Bienal Paiz, New Roots Foundation had a private preview of the new La Nueva Fábrica art center, with exhibitions-in-progress from Lake Verea and Lissie Habie. This was the first time any members of the public had viewed Guatemala’s newest contemporary art space, and they were truly blown away; there is nothing like … More paiz bienal preview of la nueva fábrica

In the wake of the violent eruption of the Vocano Fuego just 19km away from Antigua on June 2nd, 2018, there were people suffering from burns, from inhaling toxic gases and smoke, and who were suddenly cut off from their normal medications. Thousands had been displaced and hundreds injured as a result of the eruption. … More coordinated volcano disaster relief efforts

In coordination with researchers and data scientists at Global Forest Watch / World Resources Institute, my task was to design a rapid-response system for real-time deforestation alerts, crowdsource information within the GFW network to investigate the cause and effects of the deforestation, and produce insightful storytelling via timely publications. Quote from the Global Forest Watch … More places to watch: designing rapid response to deforestation alerts

Performed and collaborated in this untitled performance art piece, recorded via video and stills. Under dozens of edible flowers rested a pistol, which was slowly uncovered as I consumed the flowers, one by one. The whole process took over 40 minutes, and became increasingly unpleasant to eat the bitter, acrid, acidic blooms. All the while, … More performance art piece: fragility and violence

This October, Global Forest Watch sent me to Tarapoto, Peru, to give a two-day journalist training in partnership with Ojo Público. We covered the basics of satellite mapping, how to use the free, open-source Global Forest Watch platform to identify and create data-driven stories, and focused on the new Forest Watcher mobile application. After a … More training journalists in the peruvian amazon

Gold, Goods and Glory Sarah Alix Mann, 2017 Acrylic on wood Satellite imagery of cacao production in Pucallpa and Loreto, Peru and palm oil in Riau, Indonesia from Global Forest Watch Exhibited September 2017 at Meson Panza Verde Gallery

Mental health care in Guatemala is notoriously underfunded and unavailable. But local NGO Saqirsan is not only opening the dialogue – they are revolutionizing the solution for improving care across Guatemala. I was lucky enough to be able to work with Saqirsan to develop some infographics and storytelling materials to better communicate their ground-breaking pilot … More visuals for better mental health care

I had the honor of coordinating a new partnership between New Roots Foundation and One Tree Planted, resulting in the first round of planting of over 7,000 trees in our partner communities of San Andres Osuna and San Vicente Los Cimientos. These trees not only reforest the area, they will also provide sustainable income to … More thousands of trees planted in guatemalan communities

The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation had their summit in Merida, Mexico this year, and I was lucky enough to join the ATBC Council for several days in order to rethink their communications strategy. After several hours leading an amazing workshop (what an awesome group!!) it felt like everyone was inspired to take part … More redesigning communications with ATBC

In July 2017 I had the pleasure of leading back-to-back Global Forest Watch trainings in Mexico City; one with a large group of civil society organizations interested in issues relating to forests, and another with an impressive group of journalists looking to use data visualization in their environmentally-related stories. The workshops were in partnership with … More training journalists and civil society in mexico

What do you do as a creative consultant when one of your oldest friends starts a beautiful line of silver rings and necklaces? Jump to support her as Marketing Director, that’s what. And what do you do when she asks you to model in outlandish settings? Gulp and wish for the best. Artist and entrepreneur Jamie … More the story behind launching rené habie

This is our last week having Guatemalan artists Antonio Pichillá and Benvenuto Ch’ab’aj’ay at the New Roots Foundation artist residency in Santa Ana, Guatemala. I have to say that seeing their work develop over time and hearing their vast philosophies and personal journeys behind their artwork has been beyond inspiring. From themes invoking colonial conquest … More artist residency with antonio and benvenuto

Worked with Justin Bieggar Photography in Antigua, Guatemala this weekend to market a new (and yet so so old, it’s actually the original!) concept of enjoying your travel without being attached to a phone. Enjoy the experience of exploring this colonial architecture and Mayan culture without being glued to your phone – hire a personal … More leave your phone at home

I have definitely felt my concept of “homeland” to be split between California and Guatemala during my life. When I was a kid we lived here off and on for long periods of time; I went to school here, I made my first lifelong friends here, I matured here, and now I have returned here! I’ve … More relocated to antigua, guatemala

How do you take 12 of the most technologically innovative groups in the realm of environmental monitoring, squeeze them into a corner of the Palais de Congres in Paris, and create a space that is all about interaction and inspiration? That is exactly what my colleague at CIFOR and I were working out for months. … More designing the landscapes laboratory