Ivana Ñique ’26 Showcases Peru’s Politics and Identity through Ceramics Exhibit

Drawing on eight years of experience working with ceramics, Ivana Ñique ’26 merged creativity with scholarly research to examine the relationship between material culture, politics, and nation-building in Peru. A double major in Latin American Studies and Political Science, Ñique presented a collection of handcrafted ceramic works inspired by pre-Columbian Andean forms in Shaping a Nation: Plasticity Across 20th Century Politics of Peru, an exhibit hosted by the MacMillan Center's Council on Latin American & Iberian Studies. The project focused on the government of Juan Velasco Alvarado, whose military-led administration (1968–1975) introduced sweeping political, social, and cultural reforms that repositioned Indigenous peoples and pre-Columbian civilizations at the center of Peru's public identity.

Among the ceramic forms featured in the exhibition was the urpu, also known as the aryballo, a distinctive vessel of the Inca Empire traditionally used to store and transport chicha, a fermented corn beverage. During the Velasco era, the urpu appeared in political propaganda and on Peruvian currency, reflecting the government's efforts to draw upon Indigenous cultural heritage as a unifying symbol.

Through eight pieces, Ñique explored how historical objects can be reinterpreted and mobilized to serve contemporary political goals. The exhibition invited visitors to consider the malleability of collective identity and the role material culture plays in shaping public memory.

By combining expertise in Political Science, Latin American Studies, and ceramic arts, the project demonstrated the interdisciplinary scholarship encouraged at the MacMillan Center and how creativity offers new perspectives on historical and political topics.