“NYI” SCHOOL OF ART
Yarapa – Iquitos – Perú
Site: “Nyi Camp” – Yarapa Gorge, Iquitos – Peru
The camp, property of Comunidad Tawantinsuyu, is located where the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve begins and the Ucayali and Marañon rivers meet to give birth to the Amazon River.
During the year 2003, Comunidad Tawantinsuyustartedits labor in artistic education, creating the First Level of the Project “NYI” School of Art, addressed to youngsters and children in the Community of Puerto Miguel, Yarapa Gorge.
“Nyi” School of Art is mainly focused in the development of an educational system in popular (local) art in the rural areas, so closely linked to the natural jungle environment. During this apprenticeship, we intend to apply healing therapies through the multiple disciplines in art and handicraft work (painting, recycled paper, pottery, sculpture on wood).
The philosophy of the school is based on 3 philosophical principles:
Munay – The power of love and caring
Llankay – The creative power of work
Yachay – The power of knowledge and wisdom
These three basic concepts of the Andean philosophy are profoundly linked to nature conservancy, the preservation of the Ancestral Culture, the balance of the physical-mental-spiritual body, sustainability and the improvement of life standards.
Comunidad Tawantinsuyu and “NYI” School of Art are in search of:
*Creating activities in benefit of the rural communities;
*Forming artists who can recover the ways and traditions of their region through their art;
*Supporting them in healing the Memory of their Community;
* Strengthening ecological concepts;
* Preserving traditional culture through local myths and legends;
* Creating new options in their economy.
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We develop the following Workshops
• Painting Workshop (see paintings)
• Handcraft Paper Workshop
• Wood Carving Workshop
With the creation of “NYI” School of Art, the dream of Comunidad Tawantinsuyu became a reality. Through hard work we will continue developing and creating different artistic activities such as: pottery workshops and continue with the Wood carving workshop.
This first experience will help us develop an educational system that we can share with other first people communities in our country, new sites and allow us to develop an artistic-healing culture.
We believe in healthier communities through artistic activities. “NYI” School of Art is one of the alternatives we can provide to support them in improving their life standards, preserving Mother Nature and creating self-sustainable systems for the development of the communities.
2006 Activities
2006 activities were opened in January with three workshops, where we continued with the following subjects: Painting, Sculpture, Drawing of the Human Body, Modeling and Handcraft Paper. And we added: Theatre and Dance.
Activities began with the arrival of the volunteers:
Guillermo Rodríguez – Sculptor Artist- Professor at the Universidad de Tucumán-Argentina
Harry Chávez – Plastic Artist- Graduated at the Pontificia Universidad Católica-Perú
Marisel La Rosa- Dance therapist- Perú
Franck Provvedi – Actor- Francia
Permanent Team at NYI Project – Yarapa:
Casilda Pinche Sánchez- Painter Artist- Perú
Stefani Pérez del Águila- Painter Artist- Perú
Students who help ad-honorem in the workshops of the smaller children:
Marvin Curico Macuyama – Helper at Drawing and Painting Workshop
Steve Ruiz Meléndez – Handcraft Paper Workshop-Helper in book binding
Nelvis Manuel Pacaya- Handcraft Paper Workshop-Helper in book binding
Plastic Arts
We continued working with the same subjects: Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, incorporating new techniques and materials.
We took advantage of the volunteers’ goodwill to share their knowledge and expertise with our students, during their visit, something that would normally be possible only attending to the university or workshops you pay for.
NYI Project starts trekking the paths of Qollasuyu
COMMUNITY OF CHALLA- LAKE TITICACA- BOLIVIA
During the month of April 2006. NGO Comunidad TAWANTINSUYU sponsored some art classes in the Aymara Community of Challa, Sun Island . This first experience was carried out under the direction of Uma Vacaflor, Bolivian painter artist and the assistance in audiovisual material by Aymar Copacaty, Aymara, Perú .
We fervently wish this experience is reproduced again, as our desire is to continue Walking.
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Exhibition
In November we were invited by the Fundación Redes Solidarias to take part in the VI Exposición y Feria Artesanal Cultural de los Pueblos Originarios (VI Exhibition and Cultural Handicraft Fair of First People) that took place at the Popular Art Museum José Hernández, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The work done by our students was successfully exhibited and received good comments, attracting the interest of some art collectors.
Scenic Arts
Theatre
The students created their own script for its theatrical representation
Group 1- Students 15 years and older
The play was based on the exploitation of the shiringa and, all through their story we could vividly feel the spiritual relation that native people have with their everyday. During the creation of the script, we have been able to prove how is it that all this story around rubber that forced many ethnias to migrate to faraway territory is still inside them and how they keep alive the messages transmitted by their Ancestors in relation to the demands of their divinities to keep a healthy relationship with the environment. We are definitely being able to understand how deep are the wounds left by Occidental Culture on our Native Cultures and how difficult it will be to repair and heal them, as they have been placed in a worthless cultural value which has taken them to a profound silence that is only broken when they feel respected in their differences.
Group 2- Students 12 to 15 years old
In this group, the students preferred to satirize the excursion of a foreigner and the diverse inconveniences that people like him cause when they arrive at an unknown environment and believing they know everything, they are exposed and expose the community people to excessive danger.
II Part of the Project
The second part of this theatrical Project contemplates a “tour” of the cast to nearby communities and finally creating a documentary. The dates for these two activities have not been defined yet, as it is necessary to find funding. Franck Provvedi, who was in charge of this theatrical experience, is looking for investors.
Dance
Marisel La Rosa’s visit opened, for our students and teachers, the opportunity to use movement as a means of letting emotions flow. It is not easy to find volunteers dedicated to this art, so while we wait, we will have to continue working with the resources left by Marisel.
2007 Activities
The first three months this year have been dedicated to build an oven for pottery, modeling and creation of utilitarian elements with the different local clays. This is an activity we were very much interested in carrying out because this community is known to have done pottery in ancient times. We asked some elder women from the community to guide us in recovering some tricks used by their families. With their priceless help and the volunteers participating, from January through March our students dedicated to the Art of Fire, the most precise expression of what we will be working with, only natural combustion ovens.
Volunteers who visited:
Laura Kesztembaum – Pottery Professor Graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Cerámica- Argentina
Roselen Zavala Farías – Licensed in Plastic Arts- UPLA- Chile
José Carlos Rojas Walter – Licensed in Art- UPLA-Chile
Students who help ad- honorem
Nelvis Manuel Pacaya – Pottery Workshop
NYI Project in :
* Rural Community of Huancahuasi – Lima – Peru
* Native Community of QQuea – Sicuani – Cusco – Peru
Under the direction of NGO Comunidad TAWANTINSUYU and the financial support of COSUDE (Swiss Cooperation for Development) NYI School of Art Project has achieved a small expansion in its work. Since the end of February the following workshops have been developed: Drawing and Painting. These workshops will end with a mural painting within the area of these communities.
In both sites, the Project has taken care that the artistic teaching is done in Quechua language. Music workshops have also been implemented, using Andean musical instruments.
Huancahuasi
Project Director
Harry Chávez- Perú
Professor in charge
Chaska Arcos – Perú
Volunteers
Mariela Vizcarra – Bolivia
Jorge Siles- Bolivia
Music Workshop
Qquea
Professor in charge
Nieves Cusihuallpa Fuentes – Perú
Volunteer
Olga Amaru Quispe- Perú
Music Workshop
Freddy Quispe Quispichu- Perú
Ong Comunidad Tawantinsuyu
Responsable a cargo/Presidente: Agustín Guzmán
Belisario Suárez 518 Of.401,Miraflores.
Teléfonos (51-1)392-7681.
(51)961101979
RPM *0130769
ayni@comunidadtawantinsuyu.org
nyiescueladearte@yahoo.com.ar