HCRAG and Multicolores

Multicolores is made up of 53 Maya women artists from 9 rural communities in the Guatemalan Highlands. The artists represent three different Maya language groups: Kaqchikel, K’iché, and Tzutujil. The women live in the departments of Quiché, Totonicapán and Sololá, which, according to the Guatemalan National Statistics Institute are the poorest departments in Guatemala, and in the remote rural departments of

Quetzaltenango and Sacatepéquez. In total, the artists support 223 family members with their work.

“Maya women live in a society which affords them little access to education, health and opportunities for personal growth. They are surrounded by cultural stereotypes which destroy their self-esteem. These stereotypes personify the Maya woman as a passive being, self-sacrificing, submissive, and obedient to the rules established by a patriarchal society. The women encounter machismo, violence in its different manifestations, and silence in the face of injustice. This is transmitted daily from generation to generation, promoting the unfair characterization of Maya women and

stifling their personal growth.”

- Nancy Cochoy Chex, Psychologist.

“The change starts in us, so that what surrounds us changes.”

Multicolores offers artists ongoing creative learning opportunities through workshops, creative challenges, commissions, and more. Multicolores provides artists with immediate, fair payment and coordinates marketing, promotion, and exhibitions of their artwork. With the support of Leadership in Action, programs were established in support of mental health, technology and professional artwork education. Multicolores’ artists invest income from the sale of their products in schooling, home improvement projects, nutrition, healthcare, re-paying loans, small investment projects, savings and more.The artists of Multicolores have exhibited their work in twenty-one museums and galleries in Guatemala, the United States, the UK and Canada.

In 2023 and 2024 Multicolores was named International Artist of the year by the

Hooked Rug Museum of North America.

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