Unleash Your Creativity With Cusco's Vibrant Art Scene

Ruth MacRae • November 30, 2018

Get to know Cusco a new way by participating in or visiting an art workshop. Set up by a woman who leads an all-female Cusco art collective, they are a great way to meet and learn from local artists, and create your own unique art piece to take home. They also offer a positive impact on Cusco culture by

·Allowing artists to make a living - both by helping them sell their art and by income from the tours

·Allowing you to take home a souvenir that is a far cry from the mass-produced, average souvenirs that most of us go home with

·Maintaining/ resurrecting traditional Cusco art techniques in danger of disappearing, by combining them with a modern outlook.

·Restoring pride- both in these techniques, which many saw as outdated and in people´s roots

Most workshops/visits are 3 hours, include all materials and are great option for families. These can be included in any of our Peru tours. (Read more)

Bulls of Pucara Ceramic Workshop

Most roofs in Cusco are adorned by a pair of ceramic bulls. In this workshop, you work alongside local artists, immersing yourself in their world, and helping to keep alive both traditional techniques and the legends behind the bulls which are considered as guardians by the local people. Working alongside a renowned local ceramic artist, you create your Pucará bull or horse in glass ceramics Then with a member of Totemiq, a collective of Cusco based female artists, you decorate your piece using traditional colonial gilding techniques. You take home: 2 Pucará bulls, or 2 Pucará horses, or one of each.

Watch the video about this workshop :

How Fashion Is Preserving the Art of Embroidery

The Polleras de Agustina project has taken the world by storm. What started out as a way to preserve and value the traditional embroidery techniques of the Cusco area, has become a worldwide fashion phenomenon. You can find their goods proudly being worn across the world from London to New York and beyond. It has also helped reinstall a pride in young Peruvians, proud to identify with their culture and wear clothing that would once have been shunned as too rural. You will visit one of the workshops where the embroiderers work. After a short explanatory video, you can see how they work and ask them to embroider a small piece for you. There is also the chance to purchase some of the clothing should you wish. This is of course completely optional.

Create Your Own Piece of Silver Jewellery

Working with the renowned Cueto family of silversmiths you use modern techniques to preserve traditional Cusco silverwork. You will learn about the history, culture and iconography behind their jewellery designs, and learn the steps involved in making such intricate pieces of art. Participate in the process of creating, smelting and finishing your very own piece of silverware to take home. You take home: 1 piece of silver jewellery created by you.

Discover Cusco Through the Camera Lens and Local Photographer

Cusco is one of the most photographic cities in the world, filled with hidden treasures and moments. With the help of a local photographer you will stroll the Cusco streets, discovering the colours, textures and expressions of everyday life that makes Cusco special. And that most people never notice. You start by meeting your photographer, normally Adriana Peralta, in a favourite cafe. Over coffee, you can chat about the route and share your hopes for the hours ahead. You then follow your selected route to create great memories as well as developing a deeper understanding of the wonderful city of Cusco.

You need to bring your own camera and know how to use it.

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Unleash Your Creativity With Cusco's Vibrant Art Scene

Bulls of Pucara Ceramic Workshop

How Fashion Is Preserving the Art of Embroidery