The Voodoo, New Orleans, the Art & Me - a Conversation with Denise Alvarado

Voodoo, as it is known in the United States, is a religion born of the blended spiritual traditions of multiple traumatized cultures.

Denise Alvarado studied art formally at the University of Iowa and Kirkwood Community College in Iowa. However, her professional life ended up taking a different direction and she ended up with an Associates degree in Human Services, a bachelor's degree in cultural anthropology, and a Masters degree in Clinical psychology. She is currently a PhD candidate in Psychology Research and Evaluation at Walden University, and was awarded Walden University's Fellowship for Research and Application for Social Change for her research with Native Americans. She take every opportunity to study spirituality, religions, and mysticism. In spite of her extensive academic background and quest for sound science, She still believe in the healing arts, magick, spirituality, and yes, Voodoo.

As a New Orleans native and the daughter of two of the best artists in the world, she was exposed to a wide variety of art forms from the time she was old enough to be aware. Her father, Don Alvarado, was a formally trained and renowned medical illustrator (Gray's Anatomy) and her mother, Mae Moore, was largely a self taught painter of folk art, nature, and mystical imagery.

Growing up in the Deep South provided her with ample opportunity to experience mysticism in its many forms from an early age.

On this show of Witchtalk we are going to talk about her book, her magazine and her art as well as that so misunderstood tradition that is the Voodoo from New Orleans.