| Description: | Remembering who you are and where you come from is important to the people of Chile. In this arpillera, a popular folk singer, Violeta Parra, is depicted on the side of a building. Though she died shortly before 1973, the beginning of Pinochet's dictatorship, her music represents the folk-lore and culture of Chile, something that the people struggled to maintain during the military rule. Violeta Parra is known all over the world by her song: "Gracias a la Vida" (Thanks to Life).
This arpillera depicts a time of joy and playfulness as children play in the open and adults go about their normal duties. Note the Nativity scene at the bottom of this arpillera, which lets us know that it is Christmas time, thus summer in Chile. The Nativity is performed by children, which is common all around the country.
The arpillera unites the vast traditions of artists who sing, inform, paint and weave hope. Retelling history from the voice of the dispossessed is to rewrite history and envision a better future. |
