THIS week’s Pepperpot continues to celebrate Indigenous Heritage Month with the rest of Guyana by highlighting the art of our Indigenous people and how Guyanese of Indigenous heritage are infusing their traditions and telling the stories of their ancestors by using modern day art forms.

Our lead story features the work of Vanda Allicock-Calistro, who, though fresh to the local fashion industry, has used her platform to combine Indigenous symbols and designs and make them a prominent fixture on every piece of her ready-to-wear clothing line, which, so far, has been quite popular on the local market. Last week, we featured the work of artists showcased at the National Art Gallery under the theme ‘Guyana’s First Peoples; sustaining a rich cultural environment’.

There, Jerry Marco’s paintings were on display, and this week we zero in on his work, his inspiration and his plans to return home after graduating from the E.R. Burrowes School of Art to aid in the development of indigenous art in the Rupununi. We look at how women are looking to expand the sales of their hand-made craft to bigger markets, and we also celebrate the work of late ceramist Stephanie Correia- whose iconic photo graces the cover of this week’s Pepperpot- and how her work has influenced other artists of today.