Amy Chalán

Amy Killari Chalán Vacacela (b. 2001, Quito, Ecuador) is an aspiring scholar-activist, artist and cultural strategist of the Kichwa Saraguro People (Chukidel Ayllullakta) based in Tarrytown, New York. At 22 years old, she became the first Kichwa woman to graduate from Harvard University with Highest Honors. In her freetime, she loves to skateboard, play violin with the group Amawta Roots, create short films and photography, and bead jewelry with her mother. Currently, Amy is an awardee of the Banga Family Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship and Richardson Public Service Fellowship, generously supported by Harvard University.

“Warmi Pacha” [Time of Women] is an analog collage piece that explores the contemporary expressions of Kichwa women as manifestations of Mama Killa [Mother Moon]. Inspired by cholita skaters of Bolivia, Imilla Skate and the role of Mama Killa in Andean philosophy – as a wise guide for agricultural cycles – “Warmi Pacha” is a tribute to the cultural inheritance of Kichwa women as powerful healers, rebels and forces of regeneration.