oloNala

Herzlichen Dank to the Dresden University of Fine Arts & Professor Barbara Wille for the opportunity to highlight the works of artists in Madagascar‘s #contemporaryart scene, Rasolo‘s journey as a self-taught Malagasy artist, & explorations into the synergies btwn #art and #nature #conservation! 💚🎨🇲🇬

Sunlight streams through the windows of the art residency as Eddy, a member of the construction team, prepares bricks for the window arches ☀️

Photo by Alain Rasolo

#artresidencyprogram #comingsoon #madagascar

Between nature journaling to breaking ground on the art residency, to building a relationship with VOI Mitsinjo, we’re so excited to see what the new year brings.

with the new year coming up, we can't thank you all enough for supporting oloNala and following along as we grow here's to more creativity and curiosity in 2026! 🪲💚

Join us in backing VOI Mitsinjo, a grassroots conservation collective! Even just sharing this post with friends & family is a massive help, and raises awareness of the awesome locally-led conservation work happening in Ranomafana, Madagascar 🇲🇬🌳

Donate here: secure.givelively.org/donate/olona...

A white cat gently places a paw on a paint brush, sitting atop an artist’s desk. Art supplies can be seen in the background

Honored by a visit from esteemed artist & studio cat Gomez this morning! He's always dreaming about his next masterpiece 💭🐭🎨

The second floor of the oloNala #ArtResidence is well underway! The arched windows facing the Namorona River will be fitted with stained glass thoughtfully arranged in designs emblematic of Malagasy culture - the Ravenala palm & Masoandro (the sun) - translated as the "eye of the day" ☀️ 💛

A Lac Alaotra gentle lemur clings to bamboo, gazing curiously through the reeds.

#FunFactFriday: Meet the Lac Alaotra gentle lemur—the world’s only primate that lives exclusively in wetlands! 💧

📷: Deb Bradley

Many thanks to @lemurnetwork.bsky.social for donating two sets of the game - it's a fantastic resource for learning more about the primate species that call #Madagascar home.

October marked our first month as members of the Lemur Conservation Network and the 14th birthday of the Ranomafana Nature Center! And what better way to celebrate than with a round of the LCN's Lemurs! Card Game 🎉

@lemurnetwork.bsky.social

For #WorldLemurDay, Centre ValBio organized a trip for Nature Center students to visit Studio oloNala! The students were excited to see the same wildlife they draw in their own sketchbooks reflected on the walls, and gathered inspiration from their own walk through Ranomafana National Park! 🔍🌳

Many thanks to our friends at Centre ValBio and @lemurnetwork.bsky.social
for organizing the festivities here in Ranomafana and around the globe!

Arahaba Tratry ny Andron'ny Varika! Happy #WorldLemurDay from Ranomafana!

Fantastic to see all the creativity & joy in celebrating these unique species. This year's theme is „Iray ho an'ny varika ho fitsinjovana ny ho avy" - Uniting for the lemurs, to care for the future 💚

MALAGASY Version: Your Quick Start Guide to Nature Journaling — Wild Wonder Foundation NOW IN MALAGASY! This handy zine includes everything you need to get started nature journaling, and it is great for yourself, your family and friends, your students, homeschool families, and your natu...

You can download a copy at their website here: www.wildwonder.org/store/p/nj-z...

We'll be distributing copies to students and educators at the Ranomafana Nature Center, and copies will also be available for free at Studio oloNala at the entrance to Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar!

With special thanks to @wildwonder.bsky.social, we’ve created a Malagasy translation of their popular "Quick Start Guide to Nature Journaling!" This zine is downloadable on their website alongside other languages, to make the nature journaling practice more accessible to anyone who wants to start 🖍

Human rights are non-negotiable. Our thoughts are with the families of the 22 people killed and 100+ injured in Madagascar’s youth-led movement for access to basic needs. We remain hopeful for a peaceful transition of power in Madagascar & the creation of a government truly for the Malagasy people 🇲🇬

More fun with spiders! Nature Center teacher Jocelyn had noticed a large number of orb-weaver #spiders near the marketplace in Ranomafana, Madagascar, and organized a #naturejournaling session so that students could observe them up close & in their webs 🔍🕸️

It’s these kinds of observations that make nature journaling so valuable - slowing down and exploring what’s around you prompts questions about and appreciation for the natural environment 💭

(And if you’re curious, the students found 42 spiders on the building, and 52 on the plants!)

Last week’s nature journaling session was all about 🕷️❗️

Students explored all the different shapes, sizes, and colors of spiders in their area, before heading out to see how many could be found in vegetation versus on buildings - prompting a really neat discussion on camouflage!

If you’re also interested in supporting the construction of the Residency space, head on over to: secure.givelively.org/donate/olona...

First floor of the oloNala #ArtResidency is built 🙌 This section of the building will house studio and gallery space for artists in the future program, offering a dedicated space for working on projects & building portfolios 🖼️ A huge thanks to Sunshine Comes First for sponsoring this initial phase!

Destination: Wildlife™

And many thanks to D:W for highlighting our work - they've done an wonderful job supporting conservation nonprofit partners around the world through responsible and sustainable tourism. You can check them out here:

www.destinationwildlife.com

In Madagascar, Conservation and the Art of Saving Our World — Destination: Wildlife™ 90% of the wildlife and plants In Madagascar are endemic, and endangered or critically Endangered. Johanna Mitra and Alain Rasolo created the nonprofit oloNala to save this incomparable biodiversity, ...

Honored to see our interview with Destination: Wildlife published on their blog! We discuss what creative paths to conservation might look like and how we see art as a tool for creating shared cultural narratives around the environment in Madagascar ⬇️

www.destinationwildlife.com/blog/inspiri...

Attending this year’s International Primatological Society Congress in Antananarivo #Madagascar?

Head on over to the Centre ValBio info booth to chat with artist and oloNala cofounder Alain Rasolo, snag a print (or two!) from Studio oloNala, and learn more about oloNala & CVB's conservation work 🐒💚

#Naturejournaling fosters a deeper connection between people & place. Slowing down & paying special attention to all the little things not only builds observation and critical thinking skills with regards to the surrounding environment, but encourages the observer to explore their place within it ☀️

oloNala oloNala — which means ‘humans’ and ‘forests’ in Malagasy — combines artistic expression and conservation to promote quality education, environmental stewardship, and sustainable development in Madagas...

To see more photos from today, learn more about our work with the Nature Center, or support this program, check us out here: www.olonala.org

Nature journaling is a playful and mindful practice that not only lets students express themselves creatively, but embraces their curiosity about the natural world and complements the lessons they take part in every Saturday at the Nature Center!

Sketchbooks and colored pencils in hand, the students split into groups to practice observing and sketching the plant and animal life around them, including...
🌴 Which trees in the area were fruiting,
🐝 What insects were present in the garden,
🕷️ And how many legs a spider has!

It's happening! 🎉 🎨

Today, students at the Ranomafana Nature Center in #Madagascar were introduced to the #creative practice of #naturejournaling 🎨

Thanks to your donations, we've purchased art supplies for each of the students, and we're currently working on providing the Center's teachers with some much-needed storage space in the classroom.

✨Stay tuned for updates!

You can support this project here: secure.givelively.org/donate/olona...