GeoLocation

-33.438673, -70.635097

Violeta Parra was a distinguished Chilean folk artist. She was born on October 4, 1917 and committed suicide on February 5, 1967 at age 49. While she was best known for her poetic folk music, she produced artwork in a wide variety of mediums, including paintings, sculptures, and ceramic art, as well as large scale embroidered tapestries. Her artwork often connected with her political beliefs and her understanding of contemporary social problems. She joined the Communist Party in the late 1940s, and traveled the world sharing her art, making a name not only for herself but as a representative of the Chilean nation. (http://aldianews.com/articles/culture/who-was-violeta-parra/50156)

The Violeta Parra Museum was opened on October 4, 2015 in the Baquedano neighborhood of Santiago . The space is dedicated to exhibiting Violeta Parra’s work, including the embroideries she produced throughout her life. These embroideries were incredibly interesting to see because of their connection to the arpilleras that are the focus of our own project. Many claim that her embroideries were the inspiration for arpilleras and Parra is considered an icon for many Chilean women. While in Chile, we even encountered a modern-day taller named after her to honor her legacy. This museum is a place dedicated to the memory of a Chilean pioneer. Although she did not live to experience Pinochet’s coup and dictatorship which followed, she was an inspiration to many who fought for human rights and against the repression of Pinochet's regime. (http://museovioletaparra.cl/historia/)