When The Butterflies Would Visit

May 15 – June 13, 2026

Designed to empower the next generation of ecological researchers, this project seeks to nurture structural change. WHEN THE BUTTERFLIES WOULD VISIT brings together artists/activists/scientists around the environmental struggle in Guna Yala territory of Panama.

The excrement of fossil fuels and capitalism has washed up onto the shores and inside the bodies of the Indigenous Guna. In the summer 2022, on the ecological indigenous artist residency, we seeded this project to share knowledge and build new ways of working—ecological reciprocity.

Reciprocity, something western culture desperately needs to work on, is the social psychological practice of ecology.  If we as westerners can shift from capitalistic colonial systems to indigenous practices of living in relationship to the living beings around us, humanity has hope. However, this knowledge is getting harder to keep and pass down—as western culture’s plastic/oil-addictions infiltrate and seep into these communities.

We are in partnership with Yar Burba, an indigenous ecological research center run by Favio and Desy Arosemena. In the words of founder/director Favio, “Yar Burba signifies the Guna people’s spiritual connection with nature. It is an expression of how we understand the world: humans, the jungle, the sea, animals, and spirits form a unity. Everything is alive, everything has energy.”

-Tavia La Follette (curator)

About the Artists:  

Annette S. Lee, DSc, PhD, MFA, is an award-winning artist, scientist, and civic leader known for bridging disciplinary and cultural divides. She is an internationally respected researcher and steward of traditional knowledge who holds advanced degrees in mathematics, physics, astrophysics, fine arts, and motion media design from top institutions such as Yale and Berkeley. Dr. Lee has consulted for UNESCO, curated major exhibitions, communicated science, and delivered keynote addresses worldwide. She is the Director of Native Skywatchers and a Senior Researcher at OSPAPIK at the Université de Bretagne Occidentale. Annette is Lakota, Irish, and Chinese descent with Ojibwe community affiliation.  

  

Desy Martínez Castro is a Guna cultural and textile artist from Armila, Guna Yala, Panama. From a young age, she learned the ancestral art of mola weaving, passed down by women in her community. She designs and creates molas using the traditional technique of layering fabrics, expressing the worldview, symbols, and identity of the Guna people.  She also participates in cultural preservation through dance and community activities linked to environmental conservation. Her work unites art, memory, and territory, reflecting the strength of Guna women and their commitment to transmitting ancestral knowledge to new generations, strengthening a living cultural identity.  

  

Favio Arosemena is a Guna cultural artist, community conservationist, and founder of the “Art, Culture, and Ecology” project in Armila, Guna Yala, Panama. His work integrates ancestral knowledge, environmental protection, music, and cultural storytelling. For over seven years, he has participated in the community conservation of the leatherback turtle, promoting ecological awareness alongside cultural identity. Through traditional dance, flute playing, and educational experiences, he shares the spiritual connection between nature and the Guna people. His artistic vision builds bridges between cultures, honoring ancestral wisdom and biodiversity, and projecting hope for future generations.  

   

‘JAM’ Jamaal Amir McCray is a theatre artist, performer, and researcher from Baltimore, MD, based in Tallahassee, Florida. He is currently a PhD student in Theatre & Performance Research at Florida State University. His work moves between performance, sound, and public space, often drawing on broadcast, vaudeville, and participatory forms. He creates performances that invite audiences into shared systems of exchange, attention, and play. His recent projects include Public Access Noise and The Hungry Carnival. Panama Jam grew out of his time in Armila, Panama, where he worked alongside Guna community members and began shaping this project through performance and documentary practice.  

  

Paola is a Guna textile artist specializing in the traditional creation of molas in Armila, Guna Yala, Panama. Her creations are handmade using the ancestral technique of layering fabrics, learned from previous generations of Guna women. Each mola represents symbols, stories, and the worldview of her people, preserving living cultural knowledge. Her work maintains tradition while affirming contemporary identity within and beyond her community. Through her designs, she honors creativity, resilience, and feminine wisdom, sharing the Guna artistic legacy with national and international audiences.  

 
Tavia LaFollette is a transdisciplinary conceptual artist, meaning her medium is driven by the idea.  She is a storyteller working in spaces where the fields-of-practice are porous, to build new knowledge for our ever-evolving world.  LaFollette believes in the human spirit & embodies the entire process as cultural evolution.  

Growing up in NYC in the 70’s/80’s, her aesthetic heart and curatorial eye carry the struggles of the city at that time and the art that grew from that labor.  Based out of Baltimore, with political cartoonist, Gary Huck, their most impressive experimental work are their twins, Max and Calder.