Barbara Cade

BONFIRE is a collection of 21 artworks which express my growing concern for the Earth, a concern which started burning in 1971.

In 1971, I began my first body of work, SEARCH FOR IDENTITY—THE AGE OF INNOCENCE. I was making fiber sculptures which celebrated Nature. These sculptures were to be used in imaginary dances, rites and rituals. Some were fetishes to be idolized, some were dance wands. The last ones I made in 1985 were to be worn on the head. Those were Hair Hats, so named because they were made of horsehair and goat hair, both of which are very scratchy and very uncomfortable to wear. I was focused on corporate greed. The Hair Hats were designed to be worn as punishment by those people who did not honor and take care of Nature.

The fire slow-burned for years until August 5, 2015 when there was a video on CNN of the Animus River Spill caused by the EPA workers in Colorado. The sight of the orangey-brown mining pollutants turning the blue color of the river orange was one of those transcendent moments in my life. The Animus River flows through the Navaho Reservation and on into the Bay of California. I suddenly visualized all the environmental accidents and the accumulation of pollutants. Now I see these events as crimes against Nature. As a result, I will continue to make Hair Hats to document environmental accidents and to name the perpetrators