Laura Anderson Barbata facts for kids

Laura Anderson Barbata (born in 1958) is a modern artist from Mexico. She lives in both Brooklyn, USA, and Mexico City, Mexico. Laura uses her art and performances to help make the world a fairer place. She does this by learning about old traditions and working with different communities.

Early Life and Learning

Laura Anderson Barbata was born in Mexico City, Mexico, in 1958. When she was young, her family moved to Mazatlán, a city in Sinaloa. Her father owned a restaurant there. During this time, she didn't have many chances to visit art museums.

When Laura was 10, her family moved to Europe. The first museum her parents took her to was the Louvre in Paris. She was amazed by a famous statue called the Winged Victory of Samothrace. This experience made her want to explore the world through drawing. She later studied sculpture and engraving in Brazil and architecture in Mexico City.

What Laura Anderson Barbata Does

Laura Anderson Barbata's art has been shown in many places, including the United States, Mexico, Europe, and South America. Her work is part of the permanent collections at important museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City.

Laura often works with communities around the world. She has led projects in places like the Amazon rainforest in Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Norway, and different parts of the USA. Two of her main projects are "The Repatriation of Julia Pastrana" and "Transcommunality," which has been ongoing since 2001.

Art for Communities: The Yanomami Paper Project

Laura's art is closely connected to helping communities and understanding different cultures. For the Yanomami Paper Project, Laura worked with the Yanomami people in the Amazon region of Venezuela. She learned from them, and in return, she taught them how to make paper and books using materials from their local environment.

Laura has continued to work with the Yanomami community. They have created books in their own language with drawings made by their children. The Yanomami people still make their own paper and books today. Some of these special books are now kept in important places like the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library.

Stilt Dancing: The Transcommunality Project

In 2002, while working in Trinidad and Tobago, Laura met the person who started the Keylemanjahro School of Arts and Culture. This school had a stilt dancing program for kids after school. It helped children stay out of trouble and taught them about the cultural tradition of stilt dancing for the yearly Junior Carnival Parade. Laura worked with the school for five years, helping students and parents create costumes for their performances.

The group had very few supplies and relied on help from parents. The children used to paint their bodies with house paint for costumes, which wasn't safe. Also, they used the same costumes every year, which meant they couldn't win awards for new characters. Laura suggested that the children could design their own costumes. This helped them learn about the environment and other cultures. She worked with the school to think of themes and designs for the kids' characters.

Later, in 2007, Laura continued her stilt dancing work in New York with the Brooklyn Jumbies. This group of stilt dancers came from the West Indies and West Africa. Together, they held "Jumbie Camp" to teach young stilt dancers. They also performed in street parades.

Laura and the Brooklyn Jumbies have continued to work together, reaching out to communities in different parts of the country, especially those with Mexican and African-American backgrounds. They have done many surprise performances in New York City. For example, in 2011, they performed "Intervention: Wall Street" during a time of economic trouble. The stilt dancers wore business suits and walked towards Wall Street, while Laura gave out chocolate coins covered in gold with the word "Mexico" on them.

In 2015, they performed "Intervention: Indigo" in Brooklyn to speak out against violence. The performers wore indigo-colored clothes inspired by traditional stilt dancers from Mexico.

Helping Julia Pastrana Find Peace

In 2003, Laura learned about a woman named Julia Pastrana. Julia was a Mexican woman who lived in the 1800s and was sadly exhibited as a curiosity because of her unique appearance. Laura felt very sad about Julia's story. She felt a connection because Julia grew up in the same area of Mexico as Laura. Laura's biggest wish was for Julia to be returned to Mexico and buried properly.

In 2005, while in Norway, Laura started asking the University of Oslo to send Julia's remains back to Mexico. She even published a notice in an Oslo newspaper about a Catholic ceremony for Julia, which was attended by many people, including circus performers who brought flowers.

Laura sent many letters and documents to different groups and officials in Norway and Mexico. She explained why it was important for Julia to be returned home. Many people became interested in helping with the project.

In 2012, the Governor of Sinaloa, Mexico, joined Laura's efforts. He officially asked for Julia Pastrana to be sent back to her home state for burial. The University of Oslo agreed to send Julia back, but with certain rules: she could never be exhibited again, she had to be buried (not cremated), and she needed a Catholic funeral.

On February 7, 2013, Laura confirmed Julia's identity in Oslo before her coffin was sealed. Julia's feet still had bolts and metal rods from when her body was exhibited. These were removed and placed at the foot of her coffin. Julia's coffin was flown from Oslo to Mexico.

On February 12, Julia Pastrana's coffin was taken to Sinaloa de Leyva, her hometown. She was welcomed with official ceremonies and a funeral mass. Then, she was taken to the Municipal Cemetery following local traditions. Julia's coffin was covered in flowers and buried. She was dressed in a traditional Mexican dress called a huipil and had a photo of her child on her chest. Her tomb was built with thick concrete walls to make sure it would never be disturbed again. Thousands of flowers arrived from all over the world to cover her tomb.

Laura Anderson Barbata wrote a book called The Eye of the Beholder: Julia Pastrana’s Long Journey Home. This book shares Julia's story from many different viewpoints. Laura has also explored Julia's story through performances, photos, and animation.

Awards and Honors

Laura Anderson Barbata has received many awards and honors for her important work. Some of these include:

• Being a member of the National System for Creators in Mexico (2015–18, 2010–13).
• Artist in Residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston (2016).
• The Women in the Arts Award (2016).
• The Current Fellow from Thyssen-Bornemisza Contemporary Art in Vienna (2015).
• An Honorary Fellow at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (2015).
• A Photography Award from the Mexican Foundation of Film and Arts (2013).

See also

In Spanish: Laura Anderson Barbata para niños