The Visionary Praxis of Violeta Parra: Music, Poetry, and Art
Dr Lorna Dillon’s new book examines the hybrid artistic space of Chilean icon Violeta Parra
Lorna Dillon
This new book, co-written by Dr Lorna Dillon and Professor Patricia Vilches during Patricia’s visiting fellowship in Â鶹ƵµÀ examines the hybrid artistic space of Chilean icon Violeta Parra. published on 2 October 2025 and examines the forces, connections, disruptions, and juxtapositions in the music that Parra compiled and composed; the art that she generated, and the poetry that she produced.
Dr Lorna Dillon is a Research Fellow in Latin American Art at Murray Edwards. She has been a graduate tutor for several years and she co-directed the at the Institute of Continuing Education. A multi-award winning academic, Lorna is particularly interested in Latin American art. Her research has focused on the embroideries (arpilleras), papier-mâché sculptures and oil paintings created by the Chilean artist Violeta Parra (1917 – 1967) which led to the edited volume (Tamesis, 2017) and the monograph (Palgrave, 2020).
Lorna’s specialism is the work of feminist needlework collectives (tejedoras) in Colombia, Mexico and Chile, which use quilts, appliqués and embroideries for memorialisation and activism. Lorna is also interested in the links between art and cultural diplomacy; computer generated art and robotic art.
Co-author Patricia Vilches is currently a visiting fellow at Murray Edwards and her work is in the modern languages side of Violeta Parra's praxis. Patricia has published extensively. Her books include the monograph Salvador Allende and the Villa San Luis: Icons of the Just City (Palgrave McMillan, 2023) and the edited volume (Palgrave McMillan, 2018). Patricia’s specialisms include the cultural history of Latin America, literary studies, space studies, and visual studies, with a specific focus on the momentous historical events and circumstances of the mid-twentieth century. This connects to a deep interest in nineteenth-century Chile and nation-formation. Patricia is interested in transatlantic links and the influence of major continental thinkers and authors on the development of Chilean national literature and identity.