Arte Campo is an association of 12 artisan cooperatives from villages throughout the Santa Cruz region of Bolivia representing about 1,200 artisan producers. Each group has its workshop in its village, where members develop their craft and teach young artists. The objective is to strengthen communities by creating profitable work within the village, which also reduces migration to cities.
From the wool weavers in the heights of Vallegrande, to the painter’s workshop at Urubicha, and the nomadic tribes of the Ayoreo, these groups best represent the diverse artistic traditions of the region; the artisans sell through ArteCampo retail store in Santa Cruz, local fairs, and exports.
In the mid 1980's, CIDAC gave paper and colored pencils to children of a school at Urubicha and asked them to draw the life of the community. The results were promising, and it inspired CIDAC to start a permanent painting and ceramics workshop for children and young adults. This small initiative soon picked up with Ruben Oryai, a young Guarayo, becoming the first student at the experimental workshop in 1989, who later returned to his community with the promise of teaching what he had learned.
This project continues to bring young indigenous artisans to Santa Cruz. They receive housing and food while they attend high school, since higher education is often not available in remote communities. They also work in the workshop to learn a trade, earn money, and then return to their villages to teach the craft to others.
What started with just one student expanded with time and is today a viable social and environmental project that helps indigenous Bolivian youth and their communities.
