Experience design firm Murmur Ring, in partnership with Empathy and the Institute of Design, invites artists, designers, makers, and creatives of all kinds to join the Reclaiming Value: Sacred Valley Design Immersion from June 15 to 19, 2026, in Peru’s Sacred Valley. The Colossal team previously joined Murmur Ring for a transformative week-long immersion in Oaxaca, Mexico, and looks forward to joining this excursion, as well.
This is not a tourist program. Mumur Ring’s Immersions are creative exchanges born from years of research and relationship-building. Intimate site visits with Peruvian makers and innovators offer rare, behind-the-scenes access to the perspectives, techniques, and community-centered models shaping the region’s most visionary work. Participants will find new inspiration, forge collaborative relationships, and leave with ideas that will transform their practices.
In the coming weeks, Colossal will highlight several of the Peruvian makers whom participants will meet during the immersion, including Awamaki and Cerámicas Seminario.
Awamaki—named for the Quechua word meaning “made by hand”—helps women weavers of the Andes access global markets, develop business skills, and build financial independence to sustain their communities for generations. Murmur Ring’s immersion will venture into the mountains to see this social enterprise model in action and:
- Meet the women weavers in their home communities
- Learn how raw fibers are harvested and naturally dyed using plants, minerals, and methods perfected for centuries
- Receive hands-on instruction in ancient weaving techniques, guided directly by master artists
- Share a home-cooked meal prepared by the artisans
- Purchase textiles directly from the cooperatives, ensuring 100% of payments go to the makers
Since it began as an individual arts practice over 30 years ago, Cerámicas Seminario has evolved into a thriving studio blending ancient artistic language with a bold, contemporary visual style. The family-run business stands not only as a celebrated center of innovation in Peruvian ceramics but also as a powerful economic engine for its surrounding community. The immersion will allow participants to:
- Meet founders Pablo Seminario and Marilú Behar for a studio tour and Q&A
- Learn about their path to success from early explorations in clay to their commitment to building a community-centric enterprise
- See artisans at work, shaping, carving, and firing ceramic pieces
- Experience a hands-on ceramics workshop, where they’ll learn ancient techniques that inspired the studio’s signature style
A place where food, land, art, and ancestral knowledge converge, MIL Centro is far more than a restaurant. It is an innovative research lab dedicated to preserving traditional Peruvian crops, restoring endangered agricultural practices, and sustaining the communities who have lived on and worked with this land for centuries. Theirs is a model that honors tradition, empowers community, and pushes the boundaries of what food, and art, can be. During a visit to MIL Centro, participants will:
- Forage for native plants alongside local land stewards, learning how each species functions as food, medicine, and craft
- Discover how Andean communities protect their local ecologies
- Use foraged plants to hand-dye and weave natural fibers
- Enjoy a multi-course meal, inspired by eight distinct Andean microclimates
Early bird reservations are available through November 30, 2025. Apply now to secure your spot at the exclusive rate, and join us for an unforgettable journey into the creative soul of the Sacred Valley.
