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.

The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous Peoples and Wildlife in Peril! – a series of short films by Barbara Crane Navarro – 3 – « Washington – Amazon » 3:44

Posted on August 14, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« Washington – Amazon » alternates scenes from two art installations of my paintings and totemic sculptures in Washington D.C. and Arlington, Virginia, USA, with the « Fire Performance » burning of one of my totemic sculptures in the Yanomami village of Arata-Teri in the … Continue reading →

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The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous Peoples and Wildlife in Peril! – a series of short films by Barbara Crane Navarro – 2 – « The Fire Sculpture » 2:26

Posted on August 13, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« The Fire Sculpture » alternates scenes of the « Fire Performance » burning of one of my totemic sculptures at Le Chaufferie in St. Maurice, France, with scenes of Yanomami daily life in their forest and village and the « Fire Performance » burning of … Continue reading →

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The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous Peoples and Wildlife in Peril! – a series of short films by Barbara Crane Navarro – 1 – « The Way of the Shaman » 2:40

Posted on August 12, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« The Way of the Shaman » alternates scenes from an art installation of my paintings and totemic sculptures at the Eyedrum Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, with scenes of Yanomami shamanic initiation and daily life in the forest and the village. … Continue reading →

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Barbara Crane Navarro: Artist & Activist In Her Own Words — Palm Oil Detectives

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Bio: Barbara Crane Navarro Barbara Crane Navarro is a French artist, writer, Indigenous and animal activist who lives near Paris. From 1968 to 1973 she studied at Rhode Island School of Design, then she went on to study at the … Continue reading →

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Oro legale e oro illegale – Se la Barrick Gold Corporation oi cercatori d’oro stessero cercando l’oro nel tuo cortile e contaminassero la tua unica fonte d’acqua con cianuro o mercurio, saresti ancora decorato con gioielli, orologi e accessori d’oro?

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Diritto alla vita invece dei profitti legali in oro! Più sai, meno l’oro brilla! Niente dice “ti amo” come… 20 tonnellate di rifiuti minerari?! Questa è la quantità di rifiuti di roccia estratti e scartati per produrre la quantità di … Continue reading →

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Oro legal y oro ilegal: si Barrick Gold Corporation o los mineros de oro estaban excavando tu jardín y contaminaran su única fuente de agua con cianuro o mercurio, ¿seguiría ataviado con joyas, relojes y accesorios de oro?

Posted on August 9, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

¡Derecho a la vida en lugar de ganancias de oro legal! ¡Cuanto más sabes, menos oro brilla! Nada dice “Te amo” como… ¡¿20 toneladas de desechos mineros?! ¡Esa es la cantidad de desechos de roca extraídos y descartados para producir … Continue reading →

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Ouro Legal e Ouro Ilegal – Se a Barrick Gold Corporation ou os garimpeiros estivessem escavando seu jardim e contaminando sua única fonte de água com cianeto ou mercúrio, você ainda estaria enfeitado com joias, relógios e acessórios de ouro?

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Local legal de mineração de ouro contamina terras Indígenas com cianeto! Direito à vida em vez de lucros legais de ouro! Local illegal de mineração de ouro contamina terras Indígenas com mercúrio! Nada diz “eu te amo” como… 20 toneladas … Continue reading →

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Or légal et or illégal – Si Barrick Gold Corporation ou des orpailleurs cherchaient de l’or dans votre arrière-cour et contaminaient votre seule source d’eau avec du cyanure ou du mercure, vous décoreriez-vous toujours avec des bijoux, des montres et des accessoires en or ?

Posted on August 7, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Un site d’extraction d’or légale contamine les terres autochtones avec du cyanure Droit à la Vie sur les bénéfices légaux de l’or ! Plus vous en savez, moins l’or brille ! Rien ne dit « je t’aime » comme… 20 … Continue reading →

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Legal Gold and Illegal Gold – If Barrick Gold Corporation or wildcat prospectors were digging for gold in your back yard and contaminating your only source of water with cyanure or mercury, would you still decorate yourself with gold jewelry, watches and accessories?

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Right to Life over legal gold profits ! Right to Life over illegal gold profits ! Nothing says “I love you” like… 20 tonnes of mining waste?! That’s how much waste rock is dug up and discarded to produce the amount of … 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 August 5, 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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