Rubén Pachas is one of nine winners of the 2024 Midwest Culture Bearers Award. This award celebrates artisans and folk arts practitioners whose work is rooted in cultural preservation and sharing knowledge with the next generation.
“I am a teacher and artist who researches, preserves, instructs in and disseminates Peruvian indigenous culture through the arts of music and dance via classes, workshops and presentations to communities in Chicago and in Peru.
As co-founder and artistic director of the Center of Peruvian Arts, I design and create typical dances and costumes, then produce, and participate in theatrical Peruvian productions that emphasize the connections in Incan cosmology between humans and stars, Nature and the entire universe.
My work in this vein has fostered knowledge and enjoyment of Peru’s rich cultural heritage in diverse communities, and even kindled people’s desire to visit the country. It also helps his countrymen living abroad to explore their roots and feel pride in their identities, encouraging them to value their culture and share it with others.”
