Byron Ushiña of Ariu Art Studio

 

Byron Ushiña has been a friend of CAMTA for many years. Fifteen years ago, Barb and Marc were walking in a local handicraft market and met Byron where he was showing his work at a small table.

 

Barb loved Byron's work and invited him to have an exhibition in the hotel during CAMTA missions. A lot of people love the work that Byron does, both locally and internationally. Several years after the Moreau's met Byron, he opened his first store in the historical centre of Quito. Now, Byron has 3 beautiful stores in Quito: Ariu Swissôtel, Ariu Gold, and Ariu Colonial Town. One year ago, ARIU was selected to have an exhibition store in the Quito International Airport.

Barb, Byron and Marc outside ARIU Swissôtel.

 

Byron has won many awards and contests for his jewellery and recently collaborated with the Ecuador Central Bank Museum to create the “Ancestral Jewellery” concept. Byron is an auditor by profession, but his vocation as an artist allows him to design and create pieces of jewellery that reflect the culture and identity of Ecuador.

 

The brand name of Byron's jewellery, ARIU, comes from quechua, a native Ecuadorian language. 'ARI' means welcome and the 'U' stands for Byron's last name – Ushiña. Byron generously donates part of ARIU's profits to CAMTA as a token of his appreciation for the work done in Ecuador. Click the bolded text to see some of Byron's magnificent pieces: ARIU.

 

CAMTA will visit Byron tonight at the Swissôtel location.