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.

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

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

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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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 !

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

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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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!

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

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

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« We must protect the forests for those who can’t speak for themselves such as the birds, animals, fish and trees. We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. »

« I do not see a delegation for the Four Footed. I see no seat for the Eagles. We forget and we consider ourselves superior. But we are after all a mere part of Creation. And we must consider this in … Continue reading

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Fantasy-Adventure tales of Yanomami life in the Amazon Rainforest! – ENGLISH, ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS -“Amazon Rainforest Magic” y “La Magia de la Amazonia” et “La Magie de l’Amazonie” – ages 8 to 100! NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

For more Volume 1 details – in the USA, please click here: https://goo.GL/VmexDS Amazon Rainforest Magic: The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl (Volume 2) – front and back covers For more Volume 2 details – in the USA, please … Continue reading

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Fantasy-Adventure tales of Yanomami life in the Amazon Rainforest! – ENGLISH, ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS -“Amazon Rainforest Magic” y “La Magia de la Amazonia” et “La Magie de l’Amazonie” – ages 8 to 100! NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

For more Volume 1 details – in the USA, please click here: https://goo.GL/VmexDS Amazon Rainforest Magic: The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl (Volume 2) – front and back covers For more Volume 2 details – in the USA, please … Continue reading

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