Silvia Araya: life and works

Silvia Araya OQ (born 6 May 1930) was a Chilean-born Canadian painter and art instructor. After founding the Chilean-Indian Institute of Culture, she united the “Grupo Ancoa” and was a co-founder of the Museum of Art and Artisans of Linares [es], where she has sculptures and paintings in the permanent collection. In the 1970s, she became energetic in politics and was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1973, representing the then Province of Coquimbo. After the coup d’état, she was imprisoned in the infamous Valparaíso prison, before beast exiled to Canada in 1977. Locating in Quebec City, Araya usual the Académie des beaux-arts Silvia Araya and taught for twenty-five years. She was privileged as a knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2008 for her cultural contributions to the province.