Gill Gatfield facts for kids
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Gill Gatfield (born in 1963) is a talented sculptor from New Zealand. Before becoming an artist, she worked as a lawyer. Her legal work focused on making things fair and welcoming for everyone.
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Early Life and Education
Gill Gatfield grew up in a town called Kawerau. She was one of five daughters in her family. Her mother taught maths, and her father was a science teacher.
Becoming a Lawyer
Gill Gatfield studied law at the University of Auckland. After finishing her degree, she worked in different legal jobs. She worked for groups that help people and for the government's Ministry for Women.
Working for Fairness
At the Ministry, she helped create new rules and policies. These rules aimed to make things fairer for women. She worked on topics like making sure people were treated equally at work. She also looked at rules about child support and women in the military.
In 1993, Gill started her own company called Equity Works Ltd. Her company helped look into problems where people felt they were not treated fairly. She also gave advice to government groups and businesses. This advice helped them create plans for equality and diversity.
She also received a special scholarship from the New Zealand Law Society. This allowed her to study how women were doing in the legal field. In 1996, she wrote a book about it. The book was called Without prejudice: women in the law. It was re-published in 2011 because it was an important book.
Becoming an Artist
In 2002, Gill Gatfield went back to the University of Auckland. She studied art and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 2004. This degree helped her become a professional artist.
Notable Artworks and Recognition
In 2011, one of her sculptures was recognized. Her stone sculpture, called Silhouette, was a finalist in the Wallace Art Awards. This artwork can be seen at Smales Farm busway station in Auckland.
In 2015, Gill Gatfield was chosen for an important role. She was the only judge for a big art competition. This competition, called the 18th International Open 2015 Chicago, was for women artists from all over the world. In the same year, she was an artist in residence at the Women's Museum, Aarhus in Denmark. This meant she lived and worked at the museum for a period, creating art.
