The technique of hat weaving by the Wayúu people of northern Colombia has passed for generations from elders to children. Traditionally the hat is worn by Wayúu men and, increasingly, women; “Even the singer Beyonce ́s daughter was spotted using one last year,” exclaims Taller Centro Artesanal del Sombrero Wayuú founder Gary González. This association…
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We want to make our art visible to the world, because it is a part of our culture and represents the traditions of Colombia
In search of some truly original footwear? Look no further than the fantastical designs of Natalia Santamaria, who works closely with Colombia’s finest indigenous artists to create an array of boots, flats, and even high heels, all adorned with the dynamic, many-hued colors typical of Andean peoples. “Every design I create,” says Santamaria, “comes from…
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In the lushly beautiful city of Rionegro, master jeweler Luis Alberto Cano runs artist collective Precoarte, which for decades has been focused on preserving ancient, indigenous creative techniques. This group of around forty artists crafts elaborately detailed and often technically breathtaking fine metal jewelry, working exclusively with 24-karat-gold plated brass and silver. When it comes…
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Asociación Chimichagua began in 1995, in a region of northern Colombia that nudges up against the Caribbean Sea. Named after the town of Chimichagua, this artisan-run network began as a loose group of craftspeople until the town’s mayor urged them to form a structured organization in order to receive legal status—and also in order to…
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The artisans of Colombia’s Asociación Gloria de Dios, founded in 2009, make strikingly intricate, hand-woven baskets using indigenous materials: the hardy fibers of indigenous tetera and chocolatillo plants. Both species flourish along the Pacific Coast of Colombia, but the region’s proximity to the sea doesn’t make it a tourist center. Their town of Guapi, one…
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Deceptively delicate in appearance, the finely woven, lightweight jigras created by members of Artesanías Koreguaje Pairepa are as fastidiously crafted as a section of lace—only these elaborate items are far more durable. As tough as fishermen’s nets but as ephemeral as spiderwebs, the bags, hammocks, and other woven items are designed to satisfy the many…
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While some folk artists create a broad range of items in various mediums, Boyaca, Colombia’s Marlen Pacheco is focused on one thing: making some of the most durable and beautiful woven jute rugs available anywhere in the world. Using materials purchased from artisans in the city of Santander, Colombia, Pacheco uses a hand-operated loom to…
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Hailing from Bogotá, Colombia, artisan and cooperative member Rosmery Uribe has been dedicated to the creation of traditional South American molas—ornately designed, colorful textiles with meanings both sacred and universal—for decades. The origins of this truly unique artform date back to pre-Spanish times, beginning with Colombia’s Gunadule ethnic group, who used to paint their bodies…
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Colombian artist collective Divino Niño was founded by master artisans Reinel Mendoza and Magno Mahecha, members of the indigenous Zenu group in the northwestern part of Colombia. Throughout the course of a history that spans thousands of years, the Zenu people have developed a distinctive, highly refined approach to art making. Traditionally, skills and techniques…
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Colombian basketry artist Crucelina Chocho Opua is member of the Wounaan indigenous group, which is native to parts of Central and South America. An expert in werregue weaving, she lives with her father in the town of El Litoral de San Juan, along the Pacific Coast. As a little girl she watched her mother and…
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The group of artisans behind Colombia’s Comunidad Central Corocito collective are focused on producing items traditional to the region’s ancient Sikuani indigenous people, who have inhabited the Eastern Plains of Colombia for untold generations. Traditionally, they lived in semi-sedentary villages, where households were highly mobile and engaged in hunting and gathering activities. Later they settled…
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Brightly colored bags with woven straps, embellished with tassels are just some of the items of offer from Maria Concepcion Ospina Gomez of Colombia, who is from the Wayúu ethnic group. Kayuusipaa—now comprising around 35 individual artists—was founded by Gomez in order to expand her business and also to serve other weavers, affording opportunity for…
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