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 & Staff |
||
| Daniel Sonqo, Master Weaver Daniel Sonqo (sonqo meaning ¨heart¨ in Quechua) runs monthly capacity building workshops for the weavers funded by Threads of Peru. Daniel additionally provides guidance on nearly all of Thread’s fieldwork and conducts natural dye workshops with our weavers. Daniel is an experienced weaver who has been weaving since childhood and attributes his early interest in the art of weaving to his mother. Daniel began to sell his work in 1990 after the political climate in Peru became more stable. His works are highly regarded and well known in the Cusco region. Daniel says that he tries to conduct all of his work with honor and to improve the weaving techniques in the communities where ToP works. Daniel is extremely passionate about natural dying techniques and hopes to one day share his knowledge by writing a book. |
 Daniel Sonqo is pictured here naturally dying wool. |
|
| 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. |
 Urbano Huayna - Community Liasion |
|
| 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. |
 Jason Rundell |
|
| 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. |
 Hilda Callañaupa Gonzales |
|
| 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. |
 Norman Vega Talavera |
|
| 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 |
|
| Calina Ellwand - Fundraising and Promotions Assistant Calina Ellwand hails from Toronto, Canada. She graduated from the University of Ottawa in political science and women's studies and is now working towards her Master's in the same areas. She began volunteering with Threads of Peru during her 5-month trip through South America and will continue to support the organization upon her return to Canada. Her work focusses on researching and writing grant proposals, and promoting Threads of Peru's work on the web and through social media. You can follow her travels at www.flocktogether.ca |
 Calina Ellwand |
|
Members of Project Peru |
 Project Peru in Llachon, Peru - 2008 |