Esencia Mapuche: An Artistic Initiative to Explore Mapuche Identity

The Mapuche in the south of Chile are one of the few indigenous peoples that still exist in the country. Inspired by their rich culture and taken aback by the Chilean mass media’s portrayal of the Mapuche (either allied with violence and terrorism or in stereotypically folkloric scenes), Melton Fellow and artist May Garces, and photo journalist Brittany Peterson and team engaged with Mapuche communities near Temuco to explore, capture and share a different reality of the Mapuche people.

Their work was exhibited in universities, a hospital, a high school, and an art gallery. Esencia Mapuche was featured on Chilean national television twice, and Catholic University Silva Henriquez in Santiago developed the project into a training program that sponsors selected students for a second stage in another Mapuche community in the Araucania Region of Chile. Learn more about the project here (PDF file download).