Amazonian Arts: Pottery, Jewelry, Weaving, Dance, and Music
internship Overview
The Amazon rainforest is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world and has thousands of species of plants, insects, and animals. For thousands of years, Amazonian indigenous peoples have been utilizing the gifts of the Pachamama - Mother Earth - to create art and goods, such as bowls, cups, paints, jewelry, and even clothes. Also, many local dances celebrate the earth for her gifts and others tell stories of life in the rainforest including hunting, animal encounters, falling in love, and marriage.
This internship is a unique opportunity to experience the cultures of the Ecuadorian Amazon through the mediums of art, pottery, music, and dance.Interns support on-going arts projects and have the opportunity to design and implement their own workshops about art, marketing, tourism, or a different topic of interest with locals. Internship benefits:
Learn about Amazonian cultures through the mediums of art, pottery, jewelry-making, basket weaving, dance, and music
Incorporate local traditions in art and music with your skills and interests and collaborate on events for the community
Gain experience in designing and implementing art and music workshops for kids and adults in schools, shelters, and after-school programs
Practice your own works of art and dance to share with locals and your community back home
Shadow masters in Amazonian arts, and learn how they use all-natural, plant-based ingredients to create materials
Research & dissertation support available with partner organizations and universities, if requested
***NOTE: Specific projects change throughout the year depending on the needs of our partner organizations. The projects interns work on during their internship are based on the organization’s’ immediate needs and workflow.***
daily Life
Internships begin with an orientation in the city of Tena. After, interns spend the first few weeks getting to know their host family and getting introduced to their placements. Depending on the needs of the placement, potential internship activities include:
Learn about the different art forms of the host community and who makes the artisan goods
Attend music, dance, and storytelling events led by community members
Hike through agroforestry farms in the forest and collect natural materials for drawing, jewelry-making, dying, and ceramics
Practice different forms of art with locals, including weaving baskets and bags, making jewelry, wood carving, and more
Assist local entrepreneurs with design and marketing of their woven goods, jewelry, and other products
Design and implement arts-based workshops to share with community members
Design and implement workshops topics related to a topic of interest and that incorporate art as a method of transmitting knowledge; using art to talk about recycling, environmental conservation, leadership, self-esteem, etc.
Assist with tourism activities, including cooking, preparing cabins, guiding visitors, translating, and explaining on-going art projects
Organize English lessons with locals who are eager to advance their language skills and receive Spanish and Kichwa lessons from them as well
An average day for an arts intern looks like:
***NOTE: Schedules can differ based on the intern’s placement and projects interns collaborate on. The following sample schedule is based off of past interns’ experiences.***
Wake up and have breakfast with host family (***If you are with a very traditional indigenous family, you can wake up with them at 4 or 5am and share in the ritual of drinking guayusa tea as a family. ALSO, morning is when most families work on making artisan goods.***)
Head to the chakra (agroforestry farm), activity with local artisan, independent research, and/or assist with tourism activities
Lunch with host family (***OR: When interns are in the field they can buy lunch or bring a packed lunch***)
Continue research, finish up daily tasks, and practice weaving, jewelry-making, etc.
Return home around 5/6 pm for dinner with the family (***We encourage interns to spend as many evenings and weekends as possible with their host families to make the most of their immersions, learn about the culture, and practice their Spanish***)
Other activities to get involved in after work and on the weekends: sports, clubs, teaching English, meeting up with other interns, going on weekend trips to nearby tourist destinations, swimming in