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Kené Drawing and Living Designs with Olinda Silvano

  • Fowler Museum 308 Charles E Young Drive North Los Angeles, California, 90024 United States (map)

Shipibo-Konibo artist and cultural leader Olinda Silvano will conduct a hands-on workshop on kené, the intricate geometric design system of the Shipibo-Konibo people of the Peruvian Amazon. In collaboration with Erick (Ronin) Arias Silvano and Sadith Esther Silvano Inuma, Silvano will guide participants through drawing practices rooted in kené while sharing its meanings as a living language of memory, healing, and connection.

For the Shipibo-Konibo, kené patterns are not only visual forms but also pathways activated through sound, song, and intention. As Silvano paints, she sings, bringing her work into resonance as a multisensory experience. Participants will be invited to engage with kené as an embodied practice that connects drawing, listening, and cultural knowledge.

Silvano will discuss how kené is created using materials drawn from the Amazon and how these natural resources are central to Shipibo-Konibo artistic and spiritual practices. Through demonstration and conversation, she will share how these patterns move across textiles, painting, and mural work, carrying ancestral knowledge into contemporary contexts.

FEE:
General $100
Fowler members $80
This is a limited-capacity workshop, with spots available on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve your spot, please email hannah.yoo@arts.ucla.edu to receive the payment link and complete registration. Your participation will be confirmed upon payment.

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Radiocarbon Dating and the Inka Empire

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Intro to Quiltmaking