Porfirio Juárez
Originally from Oaxaca, Porfirio Juarez's passion for painting and drawing began at age 6. An architect by profession, he draws on images and memories from his childhood to create colorful, geometric works that often evoke Oaxacan fables and ancient legends. Juárez's bold, figurative style explodes with color and often draws on themes from his daily experiences in his "beautiful Oaxaca." In addition to painting, Juárez also expresses his artistic visions through lithography and engraving.

Affiliated Sustainability Program: Juárez's work celebrates an ongoing Neighbors Abroad rainwater capture initiative in San Nicolás Yaxe, an indigenous village near our Sister City, where Juárez's art, as well as art from Palo Alto's other Sister Cities, now adorns many of the water tanks in the village, turning utilitarian objects into a dynamic outdoor gallery.

​Over the last several years, Neighbors Abroad has partnered with other non-profits on this ambitious rainwater capture project. Yaxe lacks piped-in water and the region is susceptible to drought, though summer rainfall is usually plentiful. Working with Vidas y Sueños, the Stanford Global Well for Life Project, Isla Urbana, Fundacion Moises Itzkowich, Kiwanis of Palo Alto and the Rotary Club of North Hunterdon, N.J., we leveraged $32,000 in donated funds and participated in a massive on-the-ground effort to install 50 water tanks throughout the village to capture summer rainwater that would otherwise go to waste. The results have been transformative for the village of 3,000 people, where residents previously had to rely on small amounts of water they could store themselves. We thank our our donors, volunteers, and others in the community for having made this project possible.