News published: 9 October 2025

On Monday, October 6th, the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador – Santo Domingo Campus (PUCESD) hosted the simultaneous opening of the “Exploring the Intelligences of Life through Art” exhibition, which was held as part of France’s 2025 Science Festival. Led by the French Research Institute for Development (IRD), this initiative is part of the Ecological Conversion Project, inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’. It is being developed by the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador through its Santo Domingo and Ibarra campuses, in collaboration with the Padre Julio Marrero Botanic Garden (JBPJM) and the Particular Technical University of Loja (UTPL).

The event was attended by distinguished guests, including Dr Yullio Cano, Director of Research, Outreach and Innovation at PUCESD, and Dr Andrea Narváez, President of the Great Leaf Foundation. Representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition were also present, as well as local authorities from the Municipal and Provincial Governments of Santo Domingo, professors, students, staff from PUCESD and various organisations dedicated to biodiversity conservation. During the opening, M.Sc. Santiago Bravo Sánchez, Scientific Director of the Padre Julio Marrero Botanical Garden, presented the exhibition, inviting the audience to reflect on the deep relationship between art, science, and nature. The ceremony concluded with a toast by Dr Andrea Narváez, celebrating the shared mission of fostering a renewed awareness of the living world and its diverse forms of intelligence. Children also took part in a mini workshop on plant-based dyes, discovering natural colors and creativity through hands-on learning. As part of the ongoing cultural program, organizers announced the upcoming puppet theater performance, to be premiered on March 22nd, 2026, in celebration of World Water Day at the Yaku Water Museum Park in Quito.