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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 (born 1958) is an amazing Aboriginal Australian artist. She is also a great administrator and a popular book illustrator. She was one of the first three Australian fashion designers to show their work in Paris. Bronwyn was born in Tenterfield, New South Wales. She studied art in Canberra and Sydney.

In 1985, Bronwyn started a 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. This group supports Indigenous artists. Her beautiful artwork is displayed in major galleries. These include the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. She has illustrated and written 47 children's books. Some famous books she illustrated include Stradbroke Dreamtime by Oodgeroo Noonuccal. She also worked on books by artist Sally Morgan. Bronwyn even designed the outside of a sports centre in Sydney.

Bronwyn Bancroft has always been involved in helping her community. She also works to support the arts. She was a board member for the National Gallery of Australia. Her painting Prevention of AIDS (1992) was used to teach people about HIV/AIDS in Australia. She has served on many important boards. These include Viscopy, the Australian Society of Authors, and Tranby Aboriginal College. She also served on the Artists Board at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) in Sydney.

Bronwyn Bancroft's Early Life and Education

Bronwyn Bancroft is a Bundjalung woman. She was born in 1958 in Tenterfield. This is a country town in New South Wales. She was the youngest of seven children. Her father, Owen "Bill" Bancroft, was an Aboriginal Australian. Her mother, Dot, had Scottish and Polish family roots. Bronwyn shared that her great-great-great-grandmother, Pemau, was one of only a few survivors from her clan. The rest were sadly killed when their land was settled.

Bronwyn's father faced unfair treatment because he was Aboriginal. This made it hard for him to get a good education. He had to work away from home cutting railway sleepers. Her mother worked as a dressmaker at home. Bronwyn's father was an engineer during World War II. He managed barges in places like Madang and Rabaul.

Her father always told her how important education was. Bronwyn finished high school in Tenterfield. In 1976, she moved to Canberra with her future husband, Ned Manning. There, she earned a Diploma of Visual Communications. She studied at the Canberra School of Art. Later, she completed two master's degrees at the University of Sydney. She never moved back to Tenterfield. Bronwyn has three children: Jack, Ella, and Rubyrose. Her son Jack won NSW Young Australian of the Year in 2010. He was honored for helping Indigenous school students.

Bronwyn Bancroft's Art and Design Career

Bronwyn Bancroft was a key member of the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative. This is one of Australia's oldest Indigenous-run artist groups. It started in 1987. She worked as chairperson, director, and treasurer there for many years. In 1985, she opened Designer Aboriginals in Sydney. This shop sold her own fabrics and other Indigenous designs. She also hired her Indigenous female students to work there.

Bronwyn, Euphemia Bostock, and Mini Heath were the first Australian fashion designers. They were invited to show their work in Paris. This happened at the 1987 Printemps Fashion Parade. Bronwyn's painted fabric designs were a big hit. In 1989, she showed her work in London. This was part of the Australian Fashion: The Contemporary Art exhibition. Even with this success, she later focused less on fashion. She told an interviewer in 2005 that she hadn't designed fabric for 15 years.

Bronwyn is known as an "instinctive colourist." She mostly works as a painter now. Her style is "glowing" and looks like stained glass windows. She has been inspired by artists like Georgia O'Keeffe and Joan Miró. She also looks up to Australian Indigenous artists like Emily Kngwarreye.

Bronwyn's Diverse Artworks

Bronwyn Bancroft started with fabric and textile design. But she has worked in many art forms. These include jewelry design, painting, and illustration. Her art is held in major 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 shows. She also took part in over 50 group exhibitions. Her art has been shown in many countries. These include Indonesia, New Zealand, and France.

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 creation stories. It also includes the goanna. This animal is important to the Wangal people, who are the original inhabitants of the Marrickville area.

Bronwyn's Children's Books

Bronwyn started illustrating children's books in 1993. Her first book was Fat and Juicy Place by Dianna Kidd. This book was nominated for a major award. It also won the Australian Multicultural Children's Book Award. In the same year, she illustrated Stradbroke Dreamtime. This book was written by Indigenous activist Oodgeroo Noonuccal. Bronwyn was the third artist to illustrate this book.

She has since created artwork for over 20 children's books. Some of these are by the famous Australian writer Sally Morgan. Bronwyn sees Sally as a mentor and friend. Their books include Dan's grandpa (1996) and Sam's bush journey (2009). Both artists often show their connection to land and family in their art.

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

Bronwyn's art has also appeared on book covers for other authors and organizations. These include books from the Australian Museum. She also designed covers for novels like Home by Larissa Behrendt.

Bronwyn Bancroft's Leadership and Community Work

Bronwyn Bancroft has been very active in art organizations. She served two terms on the board of the National Gallery of Australia. She also chaired the Visual Arts Board for the New South Wales Ministry for the Arts. From 1993 to 1996, she led the National Indigenous Arts Advocacy Organisation.

Before the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Bronwyn was on the design committee. This group helped create the official logo for the games. She has also been a judge for art prizes. Bronwyn was a director for Viscopy, a copyright collection agency. She has spoken up for artists to receive payment when their art is resold. She believes this helps artists earn a fair income. She is also a member of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia's artists board. She has served on the board of Tranby Aboriginal College, which trains Indigenous people.

Bronwyn cares deeply about social issues. She especially focuses on those affecting Indigenous Australians. Her painting Prevention of AIDS (1992) was used on posters. These posters helped raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. This was part of a campaign by the federal Department of Health. In 2000, Bronwyn and the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative held an art exhibition. It raised money to honor activist Mum (Shirl) Smith.

As of 2009, Bronwyn was a director of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience. This group helps Indigenous students get into high school and university. She has also taught and mentored Indigenous students. One of her students, Jessica Birk, won an award in 2009.

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 was honored as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2024. This was for her "significant service to the arts, and to the Indigenous community." She also received the 2024 Lady Cutler Award. This award recognized her "distinguished service to children's literature." It especially noted her focus on Aboriginal children's literature.

Bronwyn Bancroft's 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

Bronwyn Bancroft's Major Art Collections

See also

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