Before, During, and After the Pinochet Dictatorship

On September 21st, 1976, Orlando Letelier and his assistant Ronnie Moffitt were assassinated.

Dr. Katherine Hite, a professor of political science at Vassar College, offers both an interview and a keynote speech on Chile and the politics of memory at the opening reception of the Sewn in Protest exhibition at the Richard F. Brush Gallery at St. Lawrence University. 

In these videos, renowned artist Francisco Letelier talks about murals and activism in the Americas. Francisco Letelier is an LA-based artist and muralist whose work has been shown across the world and is deeply entwined in the political world and deeply involved with community activism. Letelier helped to create two murals in 1989 that are proudly displayed in SLU's ODY Library as part of the Orlando Letelier Mural Brigade, and a new collaborative "Bridging Cultures" mural unveiled in SUNY Potsdam's Lougheed Learning Commons in 2019.

Arpilleristas  Victoria Diaz, Emilia Vasquez Requelme, and Laura Herrera  share the moving personal stories of their disappeared family members and their involvement with the Chilean arpillera movement.      

An interview with Dr. Liliana Trevizan, a Modern Languages professor at SUNY Potsdam who lived in Chile during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.  

María Luisa Ortiz describes her life during Pinochet's dictatorship and her experiences as the director of the Collections and Investigations Department at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights.

SUNY Potsdam Professor Oscar Sarmiento gives his personal, inspiring narrative about his experience of the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile. 

In this video, famed writer Pia Barros describes her roots, as well as her own take on the dictatorship. At the end, she recounts how human rights activists turned Villa Grimaldi into an important memory site during and after the dictatorship.

Chilean Arpilleristas tell their story of a New Hope through the avenue of art and expression and the creation of"La Casa de Las Mujeres" in post-revolutionary Chile.

A profile and interview with the Chilean artist who was a mentor to arpilleristas impacted by Pinochet’s dictatorship.

Meet Verónika Sánchez Ulloa, who is dedicated to preserving and sharing the memory of arpilleras and their impact on Chile's community after enduring human right violations conducted by the government.

Hear the griping tale of Carmen Aravena Indo, who made arpilleras under the dictatorship after witnessing the lasting effects of repression on her community and family.

Two arpilleristas from Peñalolén tell their stories, contributing to our understanding of the origins of arpilleras: Patricia Hidalgo (La Faena Taller) and María Madariaga (Lo Hermida Taller). Arpilleras are patchwork tapestries that are still crafted today, but were begun as a coping method and source of income during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship. 

The story of a fair trade pioneer.

In 1989, the Orlando Letelier Brigade created two incredibly powerful murals for the Latin American Steinman Festival of the Arts at St. Lawrence University

Symbols and Themes of the Murals 

As a SLU student, Relani Prudhomme helped to coordinate the design and painting of the community mural "A Common Thread".

An overview of the digital narratives exploring the two murals on display at St. Lawrence University, one by the Orlando Letelier Brigade alone and one made with the help of the Canton community.

Podcast 5 of the Chile and Cold War Podcast series looks at the international reaction to the assassination of the ex Chilean Ambassador to the United States in Washington D.C. and how it reshaped Chile-U.S relations. 

Podcast 4 from the Chile and the Cold War Podcast Series investigates the tense relationship between the Catholic Church and the Pinochet regime, especially under the leadership of Santiago Archbishop Raúl Silva Henríquez.

Podcast 6 of the Chile and the Cold War Podcast Series tells the story of Los Desaparecidos: The people disappeared by the Pinochet Regime in Chile after the military coup against President Salvador Allende on September 11, 1973. 

Podcast 3 from the Chile and the Cold War Podcast Series profiles the story of two Chilean ex-pats, who now live and teach in the North Country at SUNY Potsdam. They relate the gripping tale of their lives before and after the 1973 coup in Chile.

Podcast 1 from the Chile and the Cold War Podcast Series discusses the important role the Vicaría de la Solidaridad played in the protection of human rights and the production of arpilleras in Chile.

Podcast 2 of the Chile and the Cold War Podcast series discusses the events leading up to the controversial 1971 March of the Empty Pots and Pans, which protested President Salvador Allende's policies. This includes a discussion of who participated in the march, for what reasons, and the larger impact the march had on Chile. 

The joint mural project between SUNY Potsdam, St. Lawrence University (SLU), and world renowned Chilean muralist, Francisco Letelier, developed over the 2019 Spring Semester. Letelier worked with 12 SUNY Potsdam students and one SLU student to paint a mural on display in the Lougheed Learning Commons at SUNY Potsdam.