OHRA 2009

"The Death of the Forest is the End of Our Lives” - Dorothy Stang, a study

Art: 2009
unFramed: 12 inches H x 9.5 W
Media: Colored inks, black ink, white gouache on mat board

Dorothy Stang was born in 1931 in Dayton, Ohio. In 1948, she became a nun of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. From 1951 to 1966 she was an elementary  school teacher at Roman Catholic schools in Illinois and Arizona. She began ministry work in Brazil in 1966 and became a naturalized Brazilian citizen.

She was active in advocating for and assisting the poor and in defending the rainforest. She was photographed wearing a t-shirt with the Portuguese words "A Morte da floresta é o fim da nossa vida" printed on it. The English translation is “The Death of the Forest is the End of our Lives.”

On February 5, 2012, she was slain by two men who worked for a livestock company.