UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Woskob Family Gallery will host “Hands-on History: The Experience of Braiding a Lost Inca Rope” from Nov. 15 to 17, where participants will learn ancient braiding techniques and contribute to the reconstruction of a centuries-old Incan rope.

Led by Penn State art history doctoral candidate Kyle Marini, the workshop will be open to the public each day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and participants are encouraged to dedicate at least one hour to the workshop.

Alongside Marini, participants will employ their newly learned skill to braid segments of a 900-foot Incan rope that is the primary focus of Marini’s dissertation.

Marini’s research journey into ancient Andean art, which focuses on art created by the Inca Empire in the Andes region of South America in the 15th and 16th centuries, includes resources at Penn State such as the Radiocarbon Laboratory to reconstruct an ancient past.

In recognition of his research, Marini was recently named a 2024 McNeil Center Fellow and a 2025 Marilynn Thoma Predoctoral Fellow of the Art of the Spanish Americas.

Marini is offering this immersive, hands-on experience as a way for participants to reconnect with Incan craftsmanship while contributing to the reconstruction of an ancient artifact.

All participants will be acknowledged when the rope is installed in the gallery for an exhibition opening in January.

Run by Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture, the Woskob Family Gallery is a contemporary art space located at 146 S. Allen St. in State College.