Byron Tenesaca Guaman is a Visual Artist & Bilingual Educator residing in western NC. Born in an ancestral community in the Andes mountain region of Ecuador to a family of basket weavers and agriculturists, Byron’s early years were spent learning the reciprocity system that exists between humans and the mountains. At the age of 11 he was brought to the southeast part of the US to meet and live with his biological mother. His continued passion for Art and Education has also led him to take on the roles of Artist-in-Residence, Kindergarten Teacher Aide, and Hiset Instructor. He recently received a M.A.T in Comprehensive Education from Western Carolina University. A certified K-12 Art instructor, Byron is the Visual Art Teacher at Johnston Elementary School. He was one of 50 artists selected to be part of The Asheville Art Museums inaugural exhibition Appalachia Now! An Interdisciplinary Survey of Contemporary Art in Southern Appalachia. His artworks in various media, document, layer and weave memories, culture, history, of the Andean and Appalachia mountain regions together.