Whistling Vessels: Sound and Ceremony with Julissa Llosa Vite | 8/26-8/29 | 10am-1pm | Summer 2025
Workshops | Available
In this hands-on workshop with Visiting Artist Julissa Llosa Vite, participants will explore the ancestral art and history of creating whistling vessels—ceramic instruments that merge form, sound and ceremony. Drawing inspiration from Peruvian traditions, students will learn to craft vessels that produce melodic tones through the breath and voice of water. The course will cover techniques in hand-building, whistle making, incorporating acoustic technologies, and understanding the historical significance of these instruments in ceremonial contexts. By the end of the workshop, participants will have created their own functional whistling vessel, connecting with a rich tradition of storytelling and spirituality through sound.
Day 1: Historical overview and whistle making.
Day 2: Decolonizing framework and creation of vessel “body”.
Day 3: Ceremonial overview and placement of acoustic technologies.
Day 4: Four Element Ceremony and completion of Whistling Vessel.
Julissa Llosa Vite is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and healer whose practice is rooted in the intersection of ancestral knowledge, contemporary art, and holistic healing. Born in Callao, Peru, and currently based in both New York City and Albuquerque, her work draws deeply from her cultural heritage, personal identities, and over a decade of experience in education, art, and therapeutic practices.
Her artistic practice focuses primarily on ceramics, inspired by the ceremonial and spiritual significance of ancient vessels. She is a life-long student of ancestral Peruvian and Ecuadorian ceramics, with training from Cosmoaudición—a school grounded in ancestral clay technologies led by Esteban Valdivia. Rather than viewing these objects as historical artifacts, she approaches them as living forms—entities that carry ancestral memory and cultural continuity.
Julissa’s teaching philosophy is shaped by 12 years of interdisciplinary classroom experience and a strong foundation in trauma-informed pedagogy. As a founding teacher at Harvest Collegiate High School in Manhattan, she taught math, science, and art, while also leading initiatives around racial justice and restorative practices. Her approach to education is relational and experiential, integrating mindfulness, decolonization, creative expression, and somatic awareness.
Julissa is a Clinical Therapist, certified Reiki Master, Hypnotherapist, and EMDR practitioner. She studies with traditional healers and teachers across Peru, Ecuador, and North America.