Volunteer: Amazonian Arts: Pottery, Jewelry, Weaving, Dance, and Music in Ecuador

Volunteer: Amazonian Arts: Pottery, Jewelry, Weaving, Dance, and Music in Ecuador

Location: Tena, Ecuador

Duration: minimum 4 weeks

Start dates: Start dates are each month, enquire with us when applying.

Cost: $500 for the 1st week + $350 for each additional week

Fee Includes: all food, accommodation, pre-departure + in-country support, orientation and all project related activities

Does not Include: flights, airport pickup, travel insurance, personal spending, visas and vaccinations

• Learn about Amazonian cultures through the mediums of art, pottery, jewelry-making, basket weaving, dance, and music
• Incorporate local traditions in art and music with your skills and interests and collaborate on events for the community
• Gain experience in designing and implementing art and music workshops for kids and adults in schools, shelters, and after-school programs
• Practice your own works of art and dance to share with locals and your community back home
• Shadow masters in Amazonian arts, and learn how they use all-natural, plant-based ingredients to create materials
• Research and dissertation support available with partner organizations and universities, if requested
• Keywords: art, art history, culture, design, jewelry-making, dance, music, theatre, weaving, local products, pottery, ceramics, natural products, economic development, sustainable development, indigenous traditions.

Please note: This opportunity is designed to give you the contacts and experience to help further your career. You are not replacing any member of staff, but helping alongside them, whilst learning new skills. Simply click the APPLY Button to submit your application, and ask as many questions as you need.

The Amazon rainforest is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world and has thousands of species of plants, insects, and animals. For thousands of years, Amazonian indigenous peoples have been utilizing the gifts of Pachamama (Mother Earth) to create art and goods, such as bowls, cups, paints, jewelry, and even clothes. Also, many local dances celebrate the earth for her gifts and others tell stories of life in the rainforest including hunting, animal encounters, falling in love, and marriage.

This internship is a unique opportunity to experience the cultures of the Ecuadorian Amazon through the mediums of art, pottery, music, and dance. Interns support ongoing arts projects and have the opportunity to design and implement their own workshops about art, marketing, tourism, or a different topic of interest with locals.

Depending on the needs of the placement, potential internship activities include:

• Learn about the different art forms of the host community and who makes the artisan goods
• Attend music, dance, and storytelling events led by community members
• Hike through agroforestry farms in the forest and collect natural materials for drawing, jewelry-making, dyeing, and ceramics
• Practice different forms of art with locals, including weaving baskets and bags, making jewelry, wood carving, and more
• Assist local entrepreneurs with design and marketing of their woven goods, jewelry, and other products
• Design and implement arts-based workshops to share with community members
• Design and implement workshops topics related to a topic of interest and that incorporate art as a method of transmitting knowledge; using art to talk about recycling, environmental conservation, leadership, self-esteem, etc.
• Assist with tourism activities, including cooking, preparing cabins, guiding visitors, translating, and explaining ongoing art projects
• Organize English lessons with locals who are eager to advance their language skills and receive Spanish and Kichwa lessons from them as well

• Wake up and have breakfast with host family; mornings often involve artisan work
• Head to the agroforestry farm, activity with local artisan, independent research, and/or assist with tourism activities
• Lunch with host family or bring a packed lunch
• Continue research and daily tasks, and practice weaving, jewelry-making, etc.
• Return home for dinner with the family; evenings and weekends as possible to deepen immersion and language practice
• Other activities after work and on weekends: sports, clubs, teaching English, weekend trips, rivers, rafting, hikes, chocolate-making

• Entry level