The historic town of Portobelo on Panama¿s Atlantic coast was the venue of the most important commercial fairs held during the Spanish colonial period. In the 21st century, a group of artists have created the new Portobelo Fairs, events that bring together works by artists from Panama and the United States, in a significant cultural exchange. The people responsible for this activity are photographer Sandra Eleta, cultural promoter Roberto Enrique King and the Panamanian artist resident in the United States, Arturo Lindsay, who is also the creator and organizer of the Panama Summer Art Colony for university students from the U.S.A. In 2005, the Portobelo Fair was held on the 4th and 5th of June, a weekend during which the town received a great number of visitors and observers. There were exhibitions of paintings, photographs, videos and installations in the CEFATI Center (Centro de Facilidades Turísticas) that belongs to Panama¿s Tourism Institute, and in the old and beautifully restored building of the Portobelo Customs House, as well as presentations of biodegradable earthworks in the Sculpture Park at the Playa de las Orquídeas, on the other side of the Bay of Portobelo. The plastic and audiovisual artists who took part in the Portobelo Fair of 2005 were Panamanians Gustavo Araujo, Abner Benaím, Alexis Benalcázar, Pedro Montañez, Adrian Montaño, Pilar Moreno, Ologuaidi, Julián Velásquez, as well as the painters and sculptors of the Taller Portobelo. The U.S. component included artists Torkwase Dyson, Arturo Lindsay, Jennifer Parker, Fahamou Pecou, y Holly Tempo. All of these artists worked in their diverse media on the theme of this year¿s fair which was: ¿Altars: Encounter of Cultures.¿ The interpretations of the theme were varied and original, relating in every case to Portobelo¿s geographic and natural environment, as well as its cultural and historical context. The program of the Portobelo Fair included a recital by poets from the two participating countries, a performance by the Yanza Danza group, whose director is Vielka Chu, as well as a presentation of Portobelo¿s traditional ¿Congos¿. The town¿s children also took part in the Fair, with the portrayal of a children¿s story. The Portobelo Art Fair is a joint project of the Spelman College Summer Art Colony, the Taller Portobelo, and the Asociación Cultural AlterArte, with the sponsorship of Panama¿s National Institute of Culture (INAC) y the Panamanian Institute of Tourism (IPAT).