Valentina Campos Herranen's Bio

My YES! Jams
2001 World Jam
2002 USA Women’s Jam
2006 World Jam
2008 World Jam - Peru

Org: Tierra Viva
Location: Santa Fe
Website

Bio:

Valentina Campos is a third generation artist and
activist from Bolivia. Since 1991 she has worked with
indigenous peasants in several communities. She has
engaged in proyects with Guaranies, Chiquitanos and
Ayoreos tribes, designed to assist women and youth in
the rediscovery and rescue of lost art forms. Over the
ensuing years she has been involved with myriad
organizations both in Bolivia and abroad (studies and
research always revolving around agriculture and the
Andean cosmovision). Valentina co-founded "Kunaymana",
a co-operative of Aymara women from two communities of
Lake Titicaca, created to rescue, protect, and
strengthen culture/agriculture, as of late
prioritizing the crucial processes of cultural
affirmation and mental decolonization.

I 2000 Valentina began creating a series of
paintings,entitled "Siembra de Mamalas", reflecting
sowing rituals, the role of women in the Andean
cosmovision, and the proteccion of biodiversity. She
has exhibited this series at the Modern Museum of Art
in La Paz, Bolivia, the Sacred Stone Gallery in Santa
Fe, New Mexico,USA., The Casa de la Cultura Raul Otero
Reiche, Santa Cruz, Bolivia., and in a collective
exhibition at the Bolivian Embassy in Washington DC.
entitled "Latina Women in the Arts". She has spoken
internationally, alongside her paintings, at art
spaces, conferences and universities such as: The
Arpana Cour Gallery in New Dehli, India, coinciding
with the presentation of the book on her work, "Seeds,
source of Life", published by Vandana Shiva`s
Foundation; Harvard Law School`s Environmental Justice
event at the Highlander Research and Education Center;
University of Kentucky`s Appalachian Center`s 25th
Anniversary event entitled "Thoughts in the presence
of Fear"; UNC departament of Anthropology-Institute
for Latin American Studies`s talk "Women, Cultural
Affirmation, and Mental Decolonization.
Valentina organized an international delegation
consisting of traditional midwives and women activists
to participate in and present a workshop "The Ecology
and Culture of Normal Birth", at the world Social
Forum, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Currently she is working at the "Casa de Encuentros y
Dialogo inter-cultural"(CEDIC),a colective of local
indigenous farmers and artists in the town of
Totorkawa; Cochabamba, Bolivia.

"The Woman’s Jam was a very positive opportunity to build and exchange values that I could take with me into my work. It was a marvelous experience to connect with women at a very deep and constructive level. —ValentinaI feel more inspired! I’ve received everything I needed to continue growing as an activist, artist, woman, mother, healer, of Pachamama"