Author Archives: Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

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About Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

I'm a French artist living near Paris. From 1968 to 1973 I studied at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island, then at the San Francisco Art Institute in San Francisco, California, for my BFA. My work for many decades has been informed and inspired by time spent with indigenous communities. Various study trips devoted to the exploration of techniques and natural pigments took me originally to the Dogon of Mali, West Africa, and subsequently to Yanomami communities in Venezuela and Brazil. Over many years, during the winters, I studied the techniques of traditional Bogolan painting. Hand woven fabric is dyed with boiled bark from the Wolo tree or crushed leaves from other trees, then painted with mud from the Niger river which oxidizes in contact with the dye. Through the Dogon and the Yanomami, my interest in the multiplicity of techniques and supports for aesthetic expression influenced my artistic practice. The voyages to the Amazon Rainforest have informed several series of paintings created while living among the Yanomami. The support used is roughly woven canvas prepared with acrylic medium then textured with a mixture of sand from the river bank and lava. This supple canvas is then rolled and transported on expeditions into the forest. They are then painted using a mixture of acrylic colors and Achiote and Genipap, the vegetal pigments used by the Yanomami for their ritual body paintings and on practical and shamanic implements. My concern for the ongoing devastation of the Amazon Rainforest has inspired my films and installation projects. Since 2005, I've created a perfomance and film project - Fire Sculpture - to bring urgent attention to Rainforest issues. To protest against the continuing destruction, I've publicly set fire to my totemic sculptures. These burning sculptures symbolize the degradation of nature and the annihilation of indigenous cultures that depend on the forest for their survival.

PLEASE LISTEN TO THE YANOMAMI SHAMAN’S MESSAGE – THE PLEA OF THE RAINFOREST! – And discover how we can help Indigenous peoples!

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

photo: Renato Soares « Hey – Look at me We see you We tried to show you You never bothered to learn our language You were always looking down We’ve been warning you since the beginning The land is alive … Continue reading →

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S’IL VOUS PLAÎT,  ÉCOUTER LE MESSAGE DU CHAMAN YANOMAMI – LE PLAIDOYER DE LA FORÊT TROPICALE ! Et découvrez comment nous pouvons aider les peuples Indigènes !

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

photo: Renato Soares « Hey – Regardez nous Nous vous voyons Nous avons essayé de vous montrer Vous n’avez jamais pris la peine d’apprendre notre langue Vous regardiez toujours vers le bas Nous vous prévenons depuis le début a terre … Continue reading →

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POR FAVOR, OUÇA A MENSAGEM DO XAMÃ YANOMAMI – O Apelo da floresta! E descubra como podemos ajudar os povos Indígenas!

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

foto: Renato Soares « ¡Oye, míranos!Te vemosTratamos de mostrarteNunca te molestaste en aprender nuestro idiomaSiempre estabas mirando hacia abajoTe avisamos desde el principioLa tierra esta vivaEsta tierra no puede ser propiedadEsta tierra somos nosotrosTodos nosotrosQuerías las piedrasOroTus cosas brillantesTítulos – … Continue reading →

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POR FAVOR, ESCUCHA EL MENSAJE DEL CHAMÁN YANOMAMI – ¡EL SÚPLICA DE LA SELVA! ¡Y descubra cómo podemos ayudar a los pueblos Indígenas!

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

foto: Renato Soares « ¡Oye, míranos!Te vemosTratamos de mostrarteNunca te molestaste en aprender nuestro idiomaSiempre estabas mirando hacia abajoTe avisamos desde el principioLa tierra esta vivaEsta tierra no puede ser propiedadEsta tierra somos nosotrosTodos nosotrosQuerías las piedrasOroTus cosas brillantesTítulos – … Continue reading →

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PER FAVORE, ASCOLTA IL MESSAGGIO DELLO SCIAMANO YANOMAMI – L’APPELLO DELLA FORESTA PLUVIALE! E scopri come possiamo aiutare i popoli Indigeni!

Posted on September 29, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

foto: Renato Soares « Ehi, guardaci! Ti vediamo Cerchiamo di mostrartelo Non ti sei mai preso la briga di imparare la nostra lingua Guardavi sempre in basso Ti avvertiamo dall’inizio La terra è viva Questa terra non può essere posseduta Questa … Continue reading →

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One Gold Band = Twenty TONS of TOXIC Waste! Yes, to make just One Gold Band, there is Twenty TONS of Toxic Waste ! Please DO NOT BUY GOLD for any reason!

Posted on September 28, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

written by Mary K. Doyle and posted on “Midwest Mary”, Thursday, May 11 2023  Environment, Jewelry, Mining Pollution  We do love our luxuries and conveniences. Gold, silver, diamonds, and precious jewels make us feel sophisticated, elegant, and important. But how many of us … Continue reading →

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Here are 13 Reasons Why You Should Boycott Gold For The Yanomami and ALL Indigenous People! — Palm Oil Detectives

Posted on September 27, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Hunger for Gold in the Global North is fueling a living hell in the Global South. Here are 13 reasons why you should #BoycottGold4Yanomami 13 Reasons Why You Should Boycott Gold For The Yanomami People — Palm Oil Detectives

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Did you know that gold kills Indigenous people and rare animals? Gold mining kills Indigenous peoples throughout the world like the Yanomami people of Brazil and Venezuela! – Palm Oil Detectives

Posted on September 26, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project
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The Forest is Burning – Fire performance

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Perfomance and Film projects: http://www.barbaranavarro.com Since 2005, I’ve been burning my sculptures to protest against the ongoing destruction of the world’s Rainforests. These burning sculptures symbolize the degradation of nature and the annihilation of indigenous cultures. To protest against this … Continue reading →

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“All the Living World is Interdependent”: A Q&A with Artist Barbara Crane Navarro – Open Americas

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

“All the Living World is Interdependent:” A Q&A with Artist Barbara Crane Navarro

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