About Us
Threads of Peru is a collaboration aimed at educating the world about the unique beauty and cultural significance of the Andean people and their textile traditions. Through the web, community tours, and international sales, we connect indigenous Andean weavers of Peru to a global market; contributing to the survival of this art form and to the health and well-being of the people that sustain it.
Threads of Peru began when Adam Foster Collins and his university design class started Project Peru in Nova Scotia, Canada and contacted Ariana Svenson and Apus Peru in Cusco.
“The question: How can we use our Design skills to benefit people who are struggling in another part of the world, while helping ourselves through educational experience?”
The resulting collaboration led to a fundraising campaign in Canada, eleven designers travelling to Peru for hands-on education in the realm of indigenous Andean culture and weaving, and the creation of this website.
Now Threads of Peru has been established as a Peruvian NGO, and is branching out to create more projects and foster collaborations with other organizations and individuals.
Support
Threads of Peru has been created through a whole lot of dedication and passion of a number of people, who have given their time and effort for nothing more than the satisfaction of being involved in an important project with ethical goals.Jason Rundell - Web Developer
A number of people worked on the design of TOP, but one person has done the coding. Jason is a self-made professional web developer living in Ontario who has been making web sites ever since he was a teenager (since 1995). He would spend most of his lunch periods in his high school's library using the computers, surfing the web, and learning how to code HTML using his Geocities account. Jason enjoys new challenges and collaboration in both design and programming, and playing Ultimate Frisbee both competitively and for fun. His portfolio refelects his interest and ability to take on a variety of challenges.
Kelsey Quam - Research Lead
Kelsey is from Oregon, USA and just graduated from the University of Puget Sound where she studied International Political Economy and minored in Spanish and Latin American Studies. She is spending the year in Peru on a Fulbright fellowship. She works with Threads of Peru on community development projects, textile workshops, and coordinates visits with textile and development specialists.
Kelsey Quam's Blog - "Viva el Peru Glorioso"
Members of Project Peru
The Project Peru team has been responsible for much of the design and content of this website, and remain connected to Threads of Peru as a support team:
Project Peru in Llachon, Peru. Top left-right: local Man, Spencer Creelman, Jeff Kielman, Jason Rundell, Ryan LeBlanc, Adam Collins, local man. Bottom Left - right: Vanessa Wilson, Summer Meyer, local woman, Nora MacLeod, Katie Tower, Angie Hodder. Front: Local friendly dog (name unknown - he didn't speak English).
Jason Rundell
Kelsey Quam
Project Peru in Llachon, Peru - 2008
Staff
Threads of Peru has the benefit of staff members who are native to Peru and Latin American culture. They provide not only passion and hard work, but also lend their unique perspectives to the goals and operations of the group effort.
Urbano Huayna - Community Liasion
Urbano is from Tambobamba, Apurimac, a small town about 8 hours from Cusco. He grew up speaking Quechua and Spanish, and he now speaks English as well. As a child, Urbano spun wool for his mother, and members of his family still weave in a traditional manner. Urbano has been working as a guide for several tour agencies in Cusco (including Apus Peru) for almost five years. With Threads of Peru, Urbano manages community meetings in Quechua and Spanish and plays the essential role of a community liason. He has a relaxed manner that helps him communicate easily with the women of the remote communities.
Fredy Callañaupa Gonzales
From the jungle town of Quillabamba Fredy Callañaupa Gonzales is currently studying English and tourism and works as an Assistant Guide. He is responsible for despatch and packaging of Threads of Peru packages.
Hilda Callañaupa Gonzales
Hilda has completed studies in tourism and now works as an Administrative Assistant at Apus Peru Adventure Travel Specialists. She has been working in the purchasing of textiles for several years and has developed a fine eye for detail. She also plays an important part in the preparation and despatch of the textiles.
Norman Vega Talavera
Norman is a native of Chontales, in central Nicaragua, but has lived in Granada for most of his life. After studying International Relations he qualified to study medicine in Cuba under their well known scholarship scheme, and spent three years there mixing with people from all over Latin America. He considers himself lucky to have had the opportunity to travel to Peru and learn about another culture. He has been working in the purchasing of textiles and is developing Threads Of Peru community projects.
Urbano Huayna - Community Liasion
Fredy Callañaupa Gonzales
Hilda Callañaupa Gonzales
Norman Vega Talavera