The Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at UBC presents the thought provoking, socially and environmentally conscious new exhibition Amazonia: The Rights of Nature, on display March 10, 2017 – January 28, 2018. The exhibition features Amazonian basketry, textiles, carvings, feather works and ceramics both of everyday and ceremonial use, representing Indigenous, Maroon and white settler communities. Today, these groups articulate against threats caused by political violence, mining, oil and gas exploration, industrial agriculture, forest fires, and hydroelectric plants. The exhibition covers more than 100 years of unsuspected relationships between Vancouver and Amazonian peoples, ideas, and their struggles, challenging visitors to examine their own notions of holistic well-being.
“Last year, we transported visitors to the Sepik River of Papua New Guinea; sharing the incredible carvings of the Iatumul people – and drawing awareness to the industrial threat looming over their way of life,” notes Dr. Nuno Porto, MOA Curator, Africa and Latin America. “In Amazonia, we turn to another of the world’s great rivers. Here, we find similarly menacing forces, but we also find a very specific hope in the ‘Rights of Nature’: a new school of environmental thought that has consolidated in some of the nine countries sharing responsibilities over the Amazonian basin.”
Taking over MOA’s O’Brian Gallery, the collection’s items are primarily composed of simple, identifiable elements: vegetal fibers, wood, animal parts, clay, or feathers. These uncomplicated components are transformed into extremely sophisticated and intricate textiles, basketry, ceramics, feather works and jewelry, displaying the knowledge and craftsmanship of some of the groups who reside in the region.
MOA presents Amazonia: The Rights of Nature
Date: March 10, 2017 to January 28, 2018
Opening: March 9, 2017 at 7pm
Address: Museum of Anthropology University of British Columbia 6393 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC
Website: moa.ubc.ca
