LAURA BARRAZA
Environmental knowledge through art: A community project for the children of the dry forest.
The objective of the workshop was to bring children closer to the understanding of the ecological processes of the ecosystem in which they live, helping them, through collage and mixed media, to develop and acquire environmental knowledge, creative skills, and abilities necessary to find in art a space of growth.
The project structure included the following phases:
1. Introduction to the Arts, Wellness, and Mental Health
2. Conservation and protection of the environment
3. Creativity and design
4. Recycle to reuse in art
a project and exhibition curated by NICO BARRAZA.
Laura Barraza (México-Australia, 1960) Has a PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge, U.K. She was a researcher at the UNAM Ecosystem Research Centre; professor-researcher at Deakin University in Australia and Deputy Director of Conservation Education of the Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, Africa.
She did self-study and experiential learning in visual arts: colour theory, composition in painting, and exploration of mixed media. Studied collage theory and composition under the supervision of the visual artist, Isabel Leñero in Mexico City.
Colour and fabrics are the fundamental elements in her work with which she emphasizes the brightness and dynamics of life, combining elements of nature and human interactions, thus highlighting cultural and biological diversity. Representing scenes from the lives of women in the countryside is one of the most important aspects of her work.
“After the evolution of my profession on different continents, the material chose me as a means to listen to the vibrant and proud voice of the one that dwells under these leading canvases of my works: the universal woman”
Her work has been exhibited in Africa, Australia, and Mexico. In 2019 she won the 2nd Place, Audience Selection Award. In the exhibition “Forms of life” Latin American art group exhibition, in Melbourne, Australia. In 2021 she received recognition for her exhibited work “Mujeres Naturaleza y Vida” by the City Council of Valladolid, Yucatan, Mexico.