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.

Dwindling tropical rainforests mean lost medicines yet to be discovered in their plants — Palm Oil Detectives

Posted on November 29, 2024 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

About 80% of the world population relies on compounds derived from plants for medicines to treat various ailments, such as malaria and cancer, and to suppress pain. Our future medicines are likely to come from plants, but how effectively are … Continue reading →

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Shamanic adventures! – « Amazon Rainforest Magic The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100!  – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on November 28, 2024 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« This second volume of the Amazon Rainforest Magic series is a page-turner and as charming and delightful as the author’s first. The story line continues the thread from the previous book and the characters seem like old friends.  Meromi, a Yanomami girl … Continue reading →

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Comforting Thought: Mitákuye Oyás — Content Catnip

Posted on November 28, 2024 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

“The phase Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ comes from the Lakota language and was part of the language of resistance used in the Standing Rock demonstration. Translated to English it roughly means ‘All my relations.’ “During prayers and meetings at Standing Rock, the … Continue reading →

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¡Un libro maravilloso, un tesoro verdaderamente imperdible! – « La Magia de la Amazonia Las aventuras de Namowë, un niño Yanomami » – ¡Para edades de 8 a 12 a 100 años! – escrito e ilustrado por Barbara Crane Navarro – ¡AHORA TAMBIÉN en KINDLE!

Posted on November 27, 2024 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« ¡Un libro maravilloso (y con un volumen compañero)!Los libros «La Magia de la Amazonia» son dos tesoros sobre los Yanomami, una tribu de la selva tropical.“Las aventuras de Nanowë, un niño Yanomami” y “Las aventuras de Meromi, una niña Yanomami” … Continue reading →

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Quince Monitor (Banggai Island Monitor) Varanus melinus – Palm Oil Detectives

Posted on November 27, 2024 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project
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Un livre merveilleux, un trésor à ne pas manquer ! – « La Magie de l’Amazonie, Les aventures de Meromi, une fille Yanomami » – Pour les 8 à 12 à 100 ans! – écrit et illustré par Barbara Crane Navarro – MAINTENANT sur KINDLE AUSSI !

Posted on November 26, 2024 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Les livres « La Magie de l’Amazonie » sont deux trésors sur les Yanomami, une tribu de la forêt tropicale.“Les Aventures de Nanowë, un garçon Yanomami” et “Les aventures de Meromi, une fille Yanomami” explorent toutes deux la magie de l’Amazonie à … Continue reading →

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African Palm Civet Nandinia binotata — Palm Oil Detectives

Posted on November 26, 2024 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

African Palm Civets are vital seed dispersers in African forests they are persecuted for #bushmeat. They are also threatened by mining and #palmoil #deforestation in #Gabon #Liberia. Large tracts of rainforest where African palm civets live are threatened by commercial … Continue reading →

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A Wonderful book, a Treasure not to be missed! –  « Amazon Rainforest Magic The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100!  – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on November 25, 2024 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« A wonderful book, (and it comes with a companion volume)! The « Amazon Rainforest Magic » books are two treasures about the Yanomami, a rainforest tribe.“The Adventures of Nanowë, a Yanomami boy” and “The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl” both explore … Continue reading →

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News stories about spiders are unfairly negative – here’s how to tell the truth about spiders — Palm Oil Detectives

Posted on November 25, 2024 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Frequent errors in news reports likely contribute to the animals’ undeserved bad reputation Spiders are pretty remarkable. They live almost everywhere, from rainforests to deserts. Some even spend most of their lives underwater. They are smarter than you think, with … Continue reading →

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¡Una historia llena de sentido para niños y adultos! – « La Magia de la Amazonia Las aventuras de Namowë, un niño Yanomami » – ¡Para edades de 8 a 12 a 100 años! – escrito e ilustrado por Barbara Crane Navarro – ¡AHORA TAMBIÉN en KINDLE!

Posted on November 24, 2024 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« La Magia de la Amazonia describe el viaje de un niño Yanomami a través de la selva amazónica para encontrar una cura para su hermana enferma. Encuentra animales y plantas parlantes que lo ayudan. El cuento está escrito en la línea … Continue reading →

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