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ARPILLERAS EN CHILE, PERU AND BOLIVIA
The power of the word has been at the forefront of many protests, but Chilean women used their sewing needles, thread, and scraps of cloth to raise an international awareness of the plight of their loved ones - murdered, missing and tortured under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. Under Pinochet, Chileans lived under oppression unimaginable to the world. They wanted to give exposure to the powerful messages that the Chilean women were unable to verbalize, given the harsh censorship and terrorism that characterized the dictatorship over two decades. Chilean women found refuge in the Vicariate of Solidarity organized by the Catholic Church. In darkened basements and other secret meeting rooms in churches, mothers, wives, daughters and sisters began to piece and sew together with threads of hope onto fabric in order to save their common tales of torture, of pain and love and deceit from oblivion. The church smuggled ‘arpilleras’ out of Chile, thus the World came to know more about the oppressive, unjust and bloody life under the dictatorship.
Arpilleras were handcrafted, using scraps of materials collected by women or donated by the churches in Chile. The women often represent themselves in bold hues, to show their strength, optimism, and hope against the blacked-out figures of the soldiers or the missing family members. Determination and dignity are shown in strong lines and the simple stitches of the women's faces. Although the organized efforts of the women were not intended to be works of art, they are an art form, a women’s art form, which demands that the silence be broken and that human rights be restored. ‘Arpilleras’ originated in Chile, where women political prisoners who were held during the Pinochet regime used them to camouflage notes sent to helpers outside. Even the most suspicious guards did not think to check the appliquéd pictures for messages, since sewing was seen as inconsequential 'women's work'. All Chilean girls learned to sew in school. - An "Arpillera" (pronounced "ar-pee-air-ahs" / "are-pea-yair-uhs") is a combination of appliqué and embroidery and the most common form of the art is that of wall hangings. Initially, hessian was used as the backing, and that translates into "arpillera" in Spanish
- Arpilleras are three-dimensional appliqué textiles of Latin America. A contemporary craft, the first ones were made by the Mothers of the Disappeared in Chile to tell their stories and support their families.
- In the 1980s, Chilean arpilleras were exhibited in USA, Canada, Holland, Germany, France, Italy and other places where humanitarian groups aided Chilean political exiles. The news media had not informed the public of the issues expressed by Chilean women with their scraps of fabric and sewing skills.
Recurring in the arpilleras are elements such as the photos, images, and names of the missing and sewn words and expressions such as "Where are they?" The tapestries often have a "relief" quality and are far from two-dimensional pictures. The scrap material and stitching that ultimately create the bold lines and forms allows the viewer to perceive the determination and boldness of these Chilean women - Mothers, Wives, Partners, Daughters, Sisters. These arpilleras have served as testimony to the tenacity and faith of these Chilean women in their determined struggle for truth and justice and to break the code of silence imposed upon them and upon the country.
A six year old in describing his arpillera said: "Love should be in the world. No bombs. No guns. They don't belong in the world."
Some arpilleras are protest against the government and the army. It is common to see the guns that kill the people and a church. In 1991 the dictatorship ended and democracy returned. Therefore the meaning, the themes of the arpilleras have changed. Now the depict lives in their communities. There are animals (pets) beaches and folk expressions.
PERU AND BOLIVIA
Today, arpilleras are created in a number of cooperatives located in the dusty shantytowns of poor and displaced families that ring the capital cities of Peru and Bolivia. Home of the poorest people with unemployment near 80% and few sources of income. The homes are shacks composed of salvaged parts: old doors, panels of straw matting, cardboard boxes, crating and corrugated metal. Often there are no water or sewage systems. The small income from the sale of arpilleras provides the only source of income for families displaced from their traditional lives in the towns, villages, countryside, and mountains. For others, this income allows the family to educate their children, to provide a little better living standard. For all, it engenders a sense of community among women who are often from very different customs and cultures; it is also a way to express their creativity. The arpilleras tell the stories of life: stories of grief, bereavement, injustice, planting and harvesting smallholdings, stories of country life, stories of weddings and fiestas. - The ‘Peruvian arpilleras’ are the work of a women's coop in Lima. Its members have left Andean villages, coming to the city to seek a better life. Many of their designs evoke markets, harvest, fiestas and tragedies of village life. The women work together in a one-room brick building in their neighbourhood. Their younger children are with them during the day.
- The ‘Bolivian arpilleras’ textiles are the work of members of a coop in the lowlands of eastern Bolivia. Their designs likewise reflect daily life, with themes of fishing, gathering food and fuel and tending animals. The women usually work from home. Whereas the Peruvian arpilleras are amazingly detailed, realistic depictions of daily life, the Bolivian textiles are much more fanciful.
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Proyecto comunitario 
