Arkana Peru is an intercultural arts centre and creative research institute offering a revolutionary experimental teaching methodology directed at the creative development and actualization of its students.

1. A R K A N A P E R U
W W W . A R K A N A P E R U . O R G
C E N T E R F O R C R E A T I V I T Y A N D
C U L T U R A L I N N O V A T I O N
www.arkanaperu.org
We are an institute for
creative research in
the arts and sciencesCreate Experience Transform

3. OUR MISSION
Our mission is to host a creative research institute and intercultural
centre where visiting creatives from all over the world can work along
side local and indigenous communities and actualize their creative life
purpose while making a tangible difference in the world.

4. We believe that the planet is our teacher and that
the rain forest offers a precious resource for both
healing and education. Conservation of the rain
forest and local communities and their traditions for
future generations is one of our core missions.
We facilitate volunteerism by visiting students and
help local communities on a wide variety of social
and cultural projects. Through participating in local
projects in the region, students gain rich and
memorable experiences and leave lasting value to
the communities they visit.
We support local and indigenous artists and
organizations, providing unique opportunities for
international knowledge exchange and collaboration
with creative researchers and producers from all
over the world.
We invite creative researchers of all disciplinary
backgrounds who wish to expand the parameters of
their fields. Arkana Peru focuses on the
development of creative thinking and cultural
innovation, which can be applied across all
disciplines.
At Arkana, students test the limits of creative
expression to discover their authentic mission in
their work. Our teaching methodology involves a
deep investigation into new methodologies
and process oriented modes of inquiry inspired by
indigenous knowledges.
Ecological
Five
Directives
Reciprocal
Intercultural
Interdisciplinary
Experimental

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Arkana Arts (Artes Arkana) in a nongovernmental cultural organization whose mission is to
support the local and indigenous arts and culture in Pucallpa and the surrounding region and
facilitate important opportunities for intercultural participation between the indigenous, local,
and international creative community. Central to the planning involves the organization of
annual arts and culture festival in Pucallpa and the administration of scholarships and
international educational exchanges for local and indigenous artists.
Arkana Arts

6. The Pucallpa and Ucayali river region of the Upper
Amazon is heartland to five distinct indigenous
ethnic groups including the Shipibo-Conibo people
who have a rich tradition of hand painted ceramics
and textiles, music, and storytelling. They are well
known throughout the world for being maestro
curanderos or healers, visionary Amazonian plant
medicines that also inspire their vibrant art and
material culture.
THE
SHIPIBO
CONIBO

7. VISIONARY
ART
Pucallpa is also known as a hub for an emerging
tradition of visionary artists. In 1987, self taught
artist and shaman Pablo Amaringo was recognized
by Terrence McKenna for his highly unique mystical
style of painting influenced by his use of the
psychotropic plant medicine, Ayahuasca. With the
support of anthropologist, Eduardo Luna, the Uskar-
Ayer School of Amazonian Painting was created.
Since then, many local artists have been trained and
a vibrant tradition of visionary arts has spring from
this foundation.

8. CREATIVE
RESEARCH
INSTITUTE
SUMMER
2018
Arkana Peru’s Institute for Creative Research
is unlike any in the world. Set in one of the
most dazzling environments on the planet, its
mission is to teach through a
revolutionary teaching methodology and
intercultural and interdisciplinary
collaboration.
Our six week summer institute, hosted
during July and August, invites local
and visiting creative researches of all
disciplinary backgrounds to apply. Learning
outcomes are focused on the synergizing of
life goals in tune with a research
plan. Students undergo a rigorous process of
challenge and change to achieve a
“proposition” or creative conceptual
framework ready for presentation at end of
the term. This proposition will reflect the sum
of the students experiences and creative
vision and provide a roadmap for future
endeavors in their life and work.

10. Arkana Peru's creative research institute is multi-sited, holding programming in
fascinating locations in one of the most culturally and ecologically diverse
regions in the world: the Upper Amazon Rainforest of Peru.

11. At Arkana Peru, our teaching philosophy is grounded in relational and situated learning practices that
are shaped by the rich beliefs and culture of the Upper Amazon. Our pedagogy is experiential, holistic,
and inquiry based. We place a strong emphasis on methodological experimentation as well as critical
approaches to problem solving across the arts and sciences. Our mission is to actualize the potential
of the student through developing the imagination, expanding perception, and honing the powers of
discernment in the creative process. By the end of the term, the student will be both highly motivated
and attuned to their own authentic vision and goals that can be directed through the course of their
creative careers.
Our programming involves a series of powerful educational modules that focused on the complete
development of a creative idea from beginning to end. This includes:
Our pedagogy
Participatory and culturally immersive learning experiences in the Upper Amazon.
Catalyzing workshops and studios for deepening and expanding the field of creative inquiry.
Mentoring and guided self-evaluation with creative innovators.

13. "We need a radical change in how
we imagine our relationship to the
Earth--a vision of a more
sustainable and prosperous life for
all of us in the future. Indigenous
wisdom can teach us how to see
and understand our world
differently--how to live more in
mindfully in nature. This
disappearing knowledge may hold
the key to our survival on this
planet. "

14. Cultural Intensive
ArkaLab
Creative Incubator
Documentation
Mentoring Week
Presentation
Summer
Institute 2018
Week One:
Week Two:
Week Three:
Week Four:
Week Five:
Week Six:

15. CULTURAL
INTENSIVE
The first week of our summer institute is an intensive
exploration of the fascinating Ucayali region. We will
visit Shipibo communities and discover the rich
culture of the Upper Amazon. During this time, visits
will be made to important organizations and
institutions and presentations given by teachers,
professionals, and wisdom keepers—all who could
be with potential mentors for student projects.
WEEK ONE
Experience amazing culture
Participate in workshops and
attend presentations
Connect with potential mentors

16. The Ucayali river region is not only one of the most ecologically diverse regions of the world,
but also incredibly rich culturally. Humans have occupied the surrounding rivers and neotropical
rainforests for thousands of years and the result is a huge panoply of indigenous traditions and
practices. These traditions not only reveal other ways of life but inform our teaching
methodologies at Arkana.
The Ucayali: A Cultural Treasure Trove

17. Eighty percent of the target market are avid
coffee-drinkers and now we have an in house barista.

18. During the Second week, we will venture into
the jungle to Arkana’s rainforest campus.
The ArKaLab is an experimental laboratory and
lies at the heart of Arkana's mission to
offer revolutionary learning experiences that
transcend traditional forms of education.
Through innovative and challenging workshops
and group sessions and facilitation, students
uncover their core values to articulate a creative
"proposition" or central issue or problem they
wish to solve through their project work.
ARKALAB
WEEK TWO
Uncover core creative values
Determine personal obstacles
Articulate a critical theme or
problem to be addressed.

19. .
Creativity is our most vital
and sustainable human
resource.
Arkana’s rainforest campus creates a stage for free imagination and play where
students can explore and investigate their deepest motivations. Central to our
philosophy is the belief that subjective process is creative process and we are devoted
to continuing research into the creative process itself as a research methodology.
Through innovative workshops, seminars, and ground breaking practices, we create a
highly volatile space where new ideas can be born and obstacles overcome.

20. Following the catalytic Arka Lab, students
spend a week incubating their ideas in
deep immersion in the rainforest,
connecting every morning and evening for
group sessions and feedback.
CREATIVE
INCUBATOR
WEEK THREE

21. Like the rite of passage found in many
traditional societies, the shamanic
apprentice withdraws from everyday life to
in the jungle to be tested and receive the
knowledge of nature and the spiritual
realms. This period of withdrawal and
creative reverie is a fertile time for
incubating ideas, developing receptivity,
and attunement to the intelligence of the
rainforest.
Modern science has proven that
immersion in nature dramatically affects
how we think and feel including both our
creativity and problem solving abilities.
After a period of time in the forest, we feel
more connected to our subtler senses and
experience more profound and sharpened
awarenesses as well as a greater sense
of well being.

22. DOCUMEN
TATION
During this week, students organize
the material they have collected from
their process and with the supporting
evidence and advise from mentors,
craft it into a coherent proposition.
WEEK FIVE

23. The documentation process involves the
preparation of a multi-modal presentation of
their choosing on their proposition (creative
proposal) using materials they have gathered
(journals, drawings, photography, and
artifacts). The documentation should reflect a
level of discernment or a distilling of the most
relevant material from the diffusion of ideas and
content the student received from the preceding
three weeks. Their proposition articulates the
main creative issues of importance to the
student, in the context of their life and work.

24. After the incubation period in our rainforest campus, students connect with their
mentors for a week experiencing life in their organization and participating on their
respective projects. Here they gather advice and feedback for their propositions as
well as gain valuable experience on the ground.
MENTORING WEEK
WEEK FOUR
On the ground experience with a
mentor in their organization
Gain valuable feedback and deepen
context of creative proposition.

26. After a rigorous self evaluation process with mentors, students complete
their six week summer institute with a presentation of their creative
proposition to their peers and community. During this presentation, future
goals and implementations are workshopped. On the final day, students are
awarded a certificate of achievement.
PRESENTATION
WEEK FIVE
Rigorous self evaluation process
Peer presentation of proposition

27. ARKANA PERU
CREATIVE
RESIDENCY PROJECT
Arkana Peru also offers researchers a transformative month developing their
projects in the Upper Amazon with local and visiting mentors and
collaborating with organizations on initiatives that have a lasting impact to the
community.

28. Workshops on traditional Amazonian cultural
practices and research.
On the ground involvement on a local
community project.
Mentoring and/or curatorial support through
one-to-one meetings.
Weekly cross-pollinations with other
participating creatives and from the local and
global community.
Opportunities to propose talks and
workshops at local schools and groups.
For more information, contact us!
info@arkanaperu.org
The Residency Programme
includes:

30. THE RAIN
FOREST
CAMPUS
The heart and soul of Arkana Peru is its
rainforest campus. Located about three hours
outside of Pucallpa in the district of Huanuco,
Arkana Peru is set in virgin rainforest on a
geological wonder of the world: a boiling
river. Possessing remarkable natural beauty and
a huge abundance of plant and animal life, it is
an ideal environment to germinate creative work.
The region is also home to many local and
indigenous communities. Arkana strives to work
in unison with these communities, offering
economic opportunities for work and cultural
exchange whenever possible.

31. Known as the Shanay-timpiska, in
Quechua (Heated by the Sun), the
thermal river that passes through the
heart of Arkana is a geological wonder
of the world. Research is still being
done about the origins and properties
of this rare and magical river that
travels over two kilometres at near
boiling point.
The Boiling River

32. Arkana is situated in one of the most
dramatic and ecologically rich
regions of the Amazon. Set in virgin
rainforest in the river sub-basin of the
Ucayali, a main tributary of the Amazon
river in Peru, here you can find an
astonishing variety of rare medicinal
plants and innumerable species of
animals: birds, monkeys, tapirs, deer,
reptiles, insects, and fish.
The Peruvian Amazon jungle is one of
the most biologically diverse areas on
Earth, possessing the third-largest
number of mammals and the largest
number of bird species in the world.

33. The site of Arkana Peru is set on 13 hectares
of virgin rainforest along the thermal river. It is
here that will unfold our master plan to build a
fully sustainable and ecological school,
structured on biophilic and natural natural
design principles. The first phase of
construction is pending application for a long-
term concession to secure custodianship of
these lands. Building will begin Summer 2018.
The Site

34. Arkana Peru Site Plan
Clusters of buildings (in orange) can be
seen along the winding thermal river and
represent the Arkana centre: school and
courtyard, live/work studios treehouses
"tambos," residential buildings and
kitchens, workshops, and a ceremonial
sweatlodge.

35. Arkana's architecture will feature an
integration of traditional and modern
design influences. The nexus and heart
of the centre is a circular school and
meeting place that is inspired by a
maloca or "house of knowledge"
(ceremonial house) in Amazonian
traditional culture. The centre will also
feature an environmental design that is
shaped by indigenous cosmic geography
that allows for interconnection and
collaboration and solitude in nature.

36. A distinct feature of the Arkana
master plan is the construction of
treehouse live/work studios or
"tambos" distributed throughout
the rainforest. These buildings
allow for both the concentration
and immersion in nature needed
for creative inspiration.
Tambos

37. Design Precedents
for other buildings at Arkana
include residential buildings,
dining and kitchen spaces, a
ceremonial sweatlodge
and workshops and ateliers.
(see end page for ref)

38. S A N T U A R I O
H U I S H T I N
Our closest rainforest partner and
neighbour is traditional plant medicine
centre, Santuario Huishtin (Sanctuary
of Starlight). Owned and operated by
Maestro Santiago Enrrique Paredes
Melendez, vegetalista (plant spirit
shaman), his wife, Ayme Vargas, and
family, Santuario has been the
pilgrammage destination of countless
visitiors from all over the world.
Until Arkana is built, Santuario will be
the base of our operations and
programming. Maestro Santiago is not
only an excellent host but a primary
mentor. While there, Students can
observe the ancient practices of
Amazonian plant medicine and
participate in shamanic ceremonies.

42. One of Arkana’s most important
missions is conserving the rainforest
and culture of the surrounding region.
Set in one of the oldest oilfields of
Peru, this area is rich in natural
resources, populated by ancient
species of plants, animals, fossils and
mineral deposits.
Tragically, this region is under
immanent threat by deforestation and
contamination and we are striving to
get this area protected. If our land
concession is approved, Arkana Peru
will become custodian of a small but
vital holding along the boiling river
holding and hopefully protect the area
for future generations. Proceeds from
Arkana programming goes directly to
our NGO ARKANA ARTS and this
conservation project.
An Urgent
Conservation Project

43. GETTING
TO US
Our headquarters are located in the
bustling Upper Amazonian city of
Pucallpa, on the border with Brazil. To get
to us, travel to the Jorge Chavez airport in
the Peruvian capital, Lima, and take a
one hour connecting flight to Pucallpa
(Captain Rolden airport).

45. Angela O'Hara, a Canadian artist,
educator, and social entrepreneur, has
been traveling to the Upper Amazon of
Peru for the past six years. Having
originally come to the Amazon to do
fieldwork for her PhD on indigenous
knowledge and visionary methodologies
in creative research, she has
dedicated her life to conserving the rich
culture and ecology of this region and
helping people achieve their creative
potential.
ANGELA
O'HARA

46. WE NEED YOU!
Do you want immerse yourself in an environment unlike any other on the planet and
be part of something extraordinary?
Arkana Peru seeks creative people (designers, builders, architects, engineers,
gardeners and landscapers and more) to participate in all stages of the building of the
centre, from the design stage to the construction.
Contact us for more information on our programming and how you can get involved.
info@arkanaperu.org www.arkanaperu.org
SEE YOU IN PERU!