Joan Brassil facts for kids

Rita Joan Brassil AM (1919–2005) was an Australian artist. She was famous for creating unique installation art works. These artworks often used many different things like light, sound, stones, and even electronics. Her art usually explored ideas about nature.

Joan Brassil started showing her art in 1976. This was after she retired from teaching art in high schools. Her works were displayed in many shows across Australia. She also had exhibitions in places like Taiwan and Italy. In 1988, Brassil received a special award from the Australia Council for the Arts. On January 26, 2000, she was given an AM (Order of Australia) for her important work in visual arts.

About Joan Brassil

Early Life and Education

Joan Brassil was born Rita Joan Foster in August 1919. Her birthplace was Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. She studied at Sydney Teachers' College from 1937 to 1939. In 1940, she continued her art studies at East Sydney Technical College. After finishing her education, she taught art in high schools for over twenty years.

Later Studies and Home

In 1969, Joan Brassil went back to university. She studied at the Power Institute at Sydney University until 1971. Her very first solo art show was in 1975 in Sydney. She later earned a special degree in creative arts from University of Wollongong. She also received an honorary doctorate from the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales. Joan Brassil lived and worked in Wedderburn, New South Wales. This town is about 60 kilometers south of Sydney. She was an active member of the Wedderburn artistic community there.

Joan Brassil's Artworks

Artistic Style and Influences

Joan Brassil was inspired by different artists. One early influence was the Russian abstract artist Kazimir Malevich. In some of her art, Brassil explored how we see and remember landscapes. She wanted to show how our minds connect with nature. Later in her career, she became very interested in creating sound sculptures. These artworks used sound as a main part of the experience.

Notable Works

One of her famous sound sculptures is called A Tether of Time. You can find this artwork in the sculpture garden at the Campbelltown Arts Centre. In 1973, Joan Brassil won the Mosman Art Prize. She won it for her artwork titled Creative Tension III – Cell Division.

Meaning in Her Art

Joan Brassil passed away in April 2005. A newspaper, The Sydney Morning Herald, wrote about her work. They quoted Dr. Susan Best, an art lecturer, who described one of Brassil's installations, The Breath of Psyche, as "Deceptively simple and yet utterly confounding." This means her art looked simple but made people think deeply. It was physically easy to see, but its meaning offered an exciting challenge for the mind.

Exhibitions and Shows

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Joan Brassil took part in many art shows. These included both group and solo exhibitions. Her art was shown in regional and state galleries. She also participated in special sculpture and video art exhibitions. In 2015, the Campbelltown Arts Centre held a special show. It looked back at all of her amazing artworks from her career.