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Bronwyn Bancroft

AM
BronwynBancroftWikipediaProfile (cropped).jpg
Bancroft in 2011
Born 1958 (age 66–67)
Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality Australian
Notable work
 Prevention of AIDS (1992)
Tempe Reserve sports centre (2004)

Bronwyn Bancroft is a famous Aboriginal Australian artist, born in 1958. She is also a book illustrator and was one of the first Australian fashion designers to show her work in Paris. Bronwyn was born in Tenterfield, New South Wales, and studied art in Canberra and Sydney.

In 1985, Bronwyn started her own shop called Designer Aboriginals. It sold fabrics made by Aboriginal artists, including her own designs. She also helped start the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative. Her art is displayed in major galleries like the National Gallery of Australia. Bronwyn has illustrated and written 47 children's books. These include books by famous writers like Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Sally Morgan. She also designed the outside of a sports centre in Sydney.

Bronwyn Bancroft has always been involved in helping her community and supporting the arts. She has been on the board of the National Gallery of Australia. Her painting Prevention of AIDS (1992) was used to help people learn about HIV/AIDS in Australia. She has also served on boards for groups that protect artists' rights and support Indigenous education.

Bronwyn's Early Life and Family

Bronwyn Bancroft is a Bundjalung woman. She was born in 1958 in Tenterfield, a country town in New South Wales. She was the youngest of seven children. Her father, Owen Cecil Joseph Bancroft, was an Aboriginal Australian from the Djanbun clan. Her mother, Dot, had Scottish and Polish family roots.

Bronwyn has shared that her great-great-great-grandmother, Pemau, was one of only a few people from her clan who survived. Most of her clan were killed when their land was taken by a white farmer. Bronwyn's grandfather and uncle worked in goldmines. Her father faced unfair treatment because he was Aboriginal, which made it hard for him to get a good education. He had to work away from home cutting wood for railway tracks. Her mother worked as a dressmaker at home. During World War II, Bronwyn's father was an engineer.

Bronwyn's father always told her how important it was to get an education or learn a skill. After finishing high school in Tenterfield, she moved to Canberra in 1976. There, she studied Visual Communications at the Canberra School of Art. She later earned two Master's degrees in art from the University of Sydney. Bronwyn never moved back to Tenterfield, but her three sisters lived there in 2004. Her father passed away around 1990. Bronwyn has three children: Jack, Ella, and Rubyrose. Her son, Jack, was named NSW Young Australian of the Year in 2010. This was for his work helping Indigenous school students.

Bronwyn's Art and Design Work

Starting Her Art Journey

Bronwyn Bancroft helped create the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative in 1987. This is one of Australia's oldest art groups run by Indigenous artists. She worked as chairperson, director, and treasurer for many years. In 1985, she opened her shop, Designer Aboriginals, in Sydney. It sold her own fabric designs and works by other Indigenous women artists she taught.

Bronwyn, Euphemia Bostock, and Mini Heath were the first Australian fashion designers invited to show their work in Paris. This happened at the 1987 Printemps Fashion Parade. Two years later, in 1989, her designs were shown in a London exhibition called Australian Fashion: The Contemporary Art. Even with this success, she later moved away from fashion design. Bronwyn is known for her amazing use of colour. She now mainly works as a painter. Her style is often described as "glowing," like stained glass windows. She has been inspired by artists like Georgia O'Keeffe, Joan Miró, Wassily Kandinsky, Marc Chagall, and Australian Indigenous artists such as Emily Kngwarreye.

Different Art Forms and Exhibitions

Bronwyn Bancroft started as a fabric designer but has worked in many art forms. These include "jewellery design, painting, collage, illustration, sculpture and interior decoration." Her art is held in important collections. These include the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The National Gallery has her screenprint, Entrapped, from 1991. Between 1989 and 2006, Bronwyn had eight solo art shows. She also took part in at least 53 group exhibitions. Her art has been shown in countries like Indonesia, New Zealand, the US, France, and Germany.

In 2004, Bronwyn was asked to design a large mural. It covers the outside of a sports centre in Marrickville, New South Wales. The mural shows a snake, a man, and a woman. These figures represent both biblical and Indigenous Australian creation stories. It also includes the goanna, which is an important animal for the Wangal people, the original inhabitants of the Marrickville area.

Illustrating Children's Books

Bronwyn started illustrating children's books in 1993. Her first book was Fat and Juicy Place, written by Dianna Kidd. This book was nominated for an award and won the Australian Multicultural Children's Book Award. In the same year, she illustrated Stradbroke Dreamtime by Indigenous activist Oodgeroo Noonuccal. Bronwyn has since created art for over 20 children's books. Some of these are for the well-known Australian writer and artist Sally Morgan. Bronwyn sees Sally Morgan as a mentor and friend. They worked together on an art show in 1991.

Bronwyn also writes her own children's books. These include An Australian 1 2 3 of Animals and An Australian ABC of Animals. Her illustrations are described as "bold and mysterious." They use "traditional Australian Aboriginal representation rendered in bright, eye-catching colors." In 2009, Bronwyn received the Dromkeen Medal. This award is for her important work in children's literature. In May 2010, the Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce, launched Bronwyn's book, Why I Love Australia. Ms Bryce praised the book, saying it "simply and exquisitely rejoices in telling a story of this magnificent, sacred land we share."

Bronwyn's art has also been used on book covers for other writers and organisations. These include books from the Australian Museum and the New South Wales Education Department.

Community Work and Awards

Working for the Arts and Community

Bronwyn Bancroft has been very active in art organisations. She served two terms on the board of the National Gallery of Australia in the 1990s. She also led the Visual Arts Board of the New South Wales Ministry for the Arts. She was also head of the National Indigenous Arts Advocacy Organisation from 1993 to 1996.

Before the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Bronwyn was part of the team that advised on the games' official logo. She has also been a judge for art prizes. Bronwyn was on the board of Viscopy, a group that collects copyright fees for artists. She has spoken up for artists to get paid when their artworks are resold. She believes this helps artists earn a fair income. She has also been on the artists' board at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) in Sydney. She has served on the board of Tranby Aboriginal College, which trains Indigenous people.

Bronwyn cares deeply about social issues, especially those affecting Indigenous Australians. Her painting Prevention of AIDS (1992) was used on posters and postcards. These helped raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in Australia. In 2000, Bronwyn and the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative held an art show to honour activist Mum (Shirl) Smith.

As of 2009, Bronwyn was a director of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience. This group helps more Indigenous students finish high school and go to university. She has also taught and guided Indigenous school students.

In 2021, Bronwyn received the first A$30,000 NSW Aboriginal Creative Fellowship. Since February 2023, she has been a board member of the Australian Society of Authors.

Bronwyn Bancroft was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2024 King's Birthday Honours. This was for her "significant service to the arts, and to the Indigenous community." She also received the 2024 Lady Cutler Award for her "distinguished service to children's literature." This award especially recognised her focus on Aboriginal children's literature.

Selected Published Works

  • Walking the boundaries (illustrator), Angus & Robertson, 1993, ISBN: 0-207-17796-1
  • Stradbroke dreamtime (illustrator), Angus & Robertson, 1993, ISBN: 0-207-17938-7
  • Dirrangun (illustrator), Angus & Robertson, 1994, ISBN: 0-207-18482-8
  • Dan's Grandpa (illustrator), Fremantle Press, 1996, ISBN: 1-86368-159-0
  • Leaving (illustrator), Roland Harvey, 2000, ISBN: 0-949714-75-5
  • The Outback (illustrator), with Annaliese Porter, Magabala Books, 2005, ISBN: 1-875641-86-6
  • An Australian ABC of Animals, Little Hare Books, 2005, ISBN: 1-877003-97-2
  • Ready to Dream (illustrator), Bloomsbury, 2008, ISBN: 978-1-59990-049-0
  • An Australian 1, 2, 3 of animals, Little Hare Books, 2009, ISBN: 978-1-921541-11-7
  • W is for wombat: my first Australian word book, Little Hare Books, 2009, ISBN: 978-1-921541-17-9
  • Why I love Australia, Little Hare Books, 2010, ISBN: 978-1-921541-78-0
  • Colours of Australia, Hardie Grant Egmont, 2016, ISBN: 978-1-742976-91-4
  • Shapes of Australia, Little Hare Books, 2017, ISBN: 978-1-760129-28-6
  • Clever crow = Wäk L̲iya-Djambatj, Magabala Books, 2018, ISBN: 978-1-922142-61-0
  • 1, 2, 3 of Australian animals, Little Hare Books, 2019, ISBN: 978-1-921272-85-1
  • Coming Home to Country, Little Hare Books, 2020, ISBN: 978-1-760501-92-1

Major Art Collections

Bronwyn Bancroft's art is held in many important collections, including:

See also

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