Jordy R. Poma: Las Curiosas

Jordy R. Poma: Las Curiosas

Artist Statement

Las Curiosas is a series of sculptures inspired by women from Mishquiyacu, Peru. Curanderas or curiosas are healers and midwives who provide alternative medicine in small communities that do not have access to hospitals or doctors. They heal by using plants, the energy that surrounds a person, and knowledge that was passed on to them by their ancestors.

Growing up among these women, I witnessed their unwavering resolve, their bond with nature, and their intuitive understanding of the power of plants, the elements, and the moon.

Mishquiyacu continues growing, and younger generations are not interested in learning the ways of the Indigenous people. I had to come to another country to value and appreciate the importance of embracing my roots and learning where I came from, and more importantly, to cultivate my connection to Mother Nature, myself, and others. These women are special. There are only a few in the Mishquiyacu Valley who continue placing importance on sacred spaces and ancestral land. In order to create this exhibition, I interviewed the women who are still alive and interviewed relatives of the ones who have passed. I thank them for their openness to share their lives with me and you.

I encapsulate their stories, their resilience, and the profound wisdom they carry in these writings and sculptures.

Las Curiosas invites you to connect with Mother Nature and to respect Indigenous cultures and other ways of living.

Land Acknowledgment

The Toledo Museum of Art is located on ancestral homelands of the Erie, Kickapoo, Odawa, and Seneca. We recognize that many other Native tribes have also conducted trade on and called this region their home, including the Lenape, Miami, Ojibway, Peoria, Potawatomi, Sauk, Shawnee, and the Wyandotte. We at the museum acknowledge and honor the past, present, and future lives of Indigenous peoples in the Toledo area and thank them for their resilience as stewards of the land on which the museum’s campus now resides. 

Artists interested in learning more about the Community Gallery can find more information here: Robert C. & Susan Savage Community Gallery Submission Form