Words by Kate Meadows. This article appeared first in Art Currently magazine and has been generously shared with Grupo Cajolá. Nivia Hernandez, She whistles before the birds wake up to sing/Ella silba antes de que los pájaros se levanten para cantar, 2025. Produce bag netting, UV print on wood, wooden clip, house paint, 5 in x 11 1/2 in. Courtesy of Gallery Bergen. Late last year, four Guatemalan artists came together in an exhibition to benefit the humanitarian organizatio

Morristown’s recent immigration raids, though not as overwhelming nor dramatic as those we’ve seen in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other cities across the U.S., nevertheless struck terror into the hearts of our local immigrant community. On a personal basis, one young man from Cajolá was detained -- and subsequently deported -- in this raid. The Morristown community has come together to defend the immigrants including strong visible support from the Morris School Di

By guest contributor Luisa Paulino In this month’s blog post Luisa, a recent visitor to Cajolá, describes her experience: Our trip to Guatemala was a wonderful mixture of awe-inspiring volcanoes, zigzagging mountainous roads, alluring sunsets, and stunning views. All of these filled our hearts  with reverence for nature. Towards the end of our trip, we were blessed to have the opportunity to visit Grupo Cajolá. It was a heartwarming and inspiring experience to see the commitm

“Telas de Solidaridad” was a group exhibition organized by Grupo Cajolá and Gallery Bergen featuring five Guatemalan artists. Their work explores identity, migration, ancestral memory, and the shared pursuit of dignity and opportunity. The exhibition opened at the beautiful Gallery Bergen in the Bergen County Community College, Paramus, New Jersey on Thursday, December 11, 2025. It is open through February 5, 2025. www.gallery.bergen.edu One of the participating artist  Melid

Grupo Cajolá: Empowering Communities Through Education, Culture, and Sustainability by guest contributor Endrit Kelmendi The Mam (Maya) cosmovision, deeply rooted in the worldview of Guatemala’s Indigenous peoples, presents nature, humanity, and the cosmos as an inseparable whole. This understanding—documented through the teachings of the Maya and reaffirmed in the Mam language—recognizes that the universe, the earth, and human beings share a single origin and energy. Everyth

For many indigenous communities in the western highlands of Guatemala, immigration is seen as the only means of surviving in the wake of economic contraction and growing societal violence.  As a result, area youth grow up without close family members, newly built houses stand empty, few institutions exist to facilitate a future at home and leaving seems inevitable.  In this context, state-run entities and non-governmental organizations alike have identified inadequate access

Melida Rodas Melida Rodas remembers as a child when she said goodbye to the greenery and volcano of her home in Guatemala and exchanged it for the concrete of New York City spending hours on a Greyhound bus to get to the Port Authority. Like many immigrants both children and adults she experienced tremendous culture shock. Hence when she heard the story of the formation of Grupo Cajola and our mission she felt it was her story. She grew up in Bayonne, New Jersey and graduated

Muralist Marlon Davila recently visited Cajola and with widespread interest from the community, painted a mural in the city center.  Ninety students from the local middle school (INEB), Grupo Cajola scholarship students, and Grupo Cajola board members participated in the project. Cajola’s  Mayor Fidel Lucas offered a prominent wall within the town hall for the work.  Davila holds a degree in Fine Arts from Princeton University.   His works are an evolution of pop art with a l