Vandria Borai is an indigenous leader in Alter do Chão.  She is an artist and lawyer who works to defend human and ecological rights in the Amazon, and to ensure the continuation of her culture.  The Borari people have been in Alter do Chão for many, many thousands of years. Ceramics have been found in the region dating back 11,000 years, and Vandria continues and expands upon that tradition through her work as a ceramicist and ceramics teacher in indigenous communities in the region. Vandria is not only a charismatic leader and artist but is also a lawyer studying for her bar exam.

This past year she was one of the jurors of the LABverde residency who chose me to participate in the program. Knowing I would be going to Alter do Chão after Manaus, I reached out to see if we could meet.  We corresponded with each other and arranged for a visit with her and a group of indigenous women artists. Luckily by that time my studio assistant Ella Konefal had joined us and was able to be our translator while Richard became the documentarian of our meeting.

It was a joy to meet with Vandria and several of her friends, family members, and collaborators in the space the both live in and share as a collective art space in Alter do Chão. All the women we met were such vital individuals, sharing their stories and art forms. We first introduced ourselves and began to talk as we sat in front of two beautiful ceramic pieces by Vandria.  Then, some of the other women shared their work, including textile design that used a plant-based pigment that’s traditionally used as body paint. Another artist shared a colorful and interesting painting, another shared beautiful drawings in pen and colored pencil, and another talked about her musical composition work. As a collective, they work in a way that fuses artistic practice with spiritual and medicinal practice in a very powerful way.

After sharing some of their work, everybody asked to see some of mine. Luckily, I still had my five-minute Power-point from LABverde on my laptop.

I then insisted on seeing more of theirs, so Vandria showed me some wonderful images of their special festivals as well as a great installation piece of hers which was in Switzerland. She hopes to make one like that locally soon.

Before we left, we were treated to some refreshments with powerful singing and music played on two beautifully crafted drums. What energy these indigenous women possessed.

Throughout the meeting, Ella translated from Portuguese to English and later when I was presenting from English to Portuguese, with support from Vandria along the way who also speaks some English. Despite the language barrier, we were able to communicate on a profound level. I know I cried; many people got goosebumps as we shared passionate words about the power of art to touch the heart and inspire action in defense of the ecosystems that impact us all on our interconnected globe. It was very powerful to speak with this group of indigenous women who know better than anyone that Indigenous sovereignty is a fundamental part of that struggle.

It was an evening of warm communal feeling, feminist power and shared energy and hope. I was honored to be with them that evening.