Huaquitos: Create Your Own Personal Interpretation is a participatory ceramic workshop that invites the public to discover an ancient Peruvian artistic tradition through contemporary making. Inspired by the huacos of pre-Columbian Peru—ceramic vessels that documented everyday life, nature, spirituality, and identity—participants will create their own personal interpretation of this iconic form.

Working with red earthenware clay, participants will explore hand-building techniques while learning about the cultural significance of the asa estribo (stirrup handle), one of the defining features of the huaco. Rather than reproducing historical artefacts, the workshop encourages each participant to respond creatively, transforming the traditional form into a personal expression inspired by animals, people, memories, or stories that are meaningful to them.

The workshop is designed for participants aged eight years and over and is suitable for complete beginners as well as those with previous experience. Through modelling clay and solving the challenge of incorporating the stirrup handle into their design, participants will develop spatial awareness, creative thinking, and confidence in working three-dimensionally. The relaxed pace of the session encourages conversation, curiosity, and shared making.

Using Culture Night as a platform for cultural exchange, this workshop creates a dialogue between Peruvian and Irish communities, celebrating how traditional crafts can connect people across cultures through creativity. All works will be bisque fired after the event, allowing participants to take home a lasting ceramic piece that commemorates both their experience and the cultural story behind it.