Joan Brown (artist, born 1945) facts for kids

Joan Brown (born in 1945) is an amazing American artist, illustrator, and teacher. She is part Cherokee and Creek from Oklahoma. Her artwork follows the style of the Bacone school, which is known for Native American art.

Growing Up and Learning

Joan Brown grew up in a small town called Yahola in Oklahoma. Her father was Native American. He worked as a drafter, which means he drew detailed plans, at the Douglas Aircraft Company in Tulsa. Joan loved art from a very young age.

After her father passed away, Joan learned some words in the Cherokee and Creek languages. She wanted to fit in, so she never became completely fluent.

In the 1970s, artist Terry Saul discovered Joan at a craft show. Terry Saul was an art teacher at Bacone College. He encouraged Joan to go to college and helped her get a scholarship. Saul continued to guide Joan. He told her to develop and stick to her own unique art style.

Joan continued her studies at Northeastern Oklahoma University in the 1970s. There, she studied psychology.

Her Amazing Art

Joan Brown raised six children. It was hard for her to find time for her art. She often had to stay up late to finish her work. She started selling her art in galleries in 1978.

Joan's art often shows traditional Native women and home life. She uses many different materials, like watercolor and gouache. Watercolor is a paint that uses water, and gouache is a thicker, opaque watercolor.

People call her the "Norman Rockwell of Native art." This means her art shows everyday life in a special way, much like Norman Rockwell's famous paintings. In 1986, the Five Civilized Tribes gave her the title of Master Artist. This is a very high honor for an artist.

Her artwork has been shown in many places. These include the Five Civilized Tribes Museum (in 1972, 1991, and 2019). It was also at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art (2009). The Cherokee National Museum showed her art in 1989.

In 1988, her hometown of Muskogee even had a "Joan Brown Day." Joan also drew the cover for a cookbook. It was called "Pow Wow Chow: A Collection of Recipes from Families of the Five Civilized Tribes." This book came out in 1984.

Helping Her Community

Joan Brown has taught her children about their Native heritage. She believes it is important to know about their past. Joan is worried that not enough new artists are creating Native art.

She says one of her biggest achievements is helping older people and children in the Native community. Another artist, Mary Adair (HorseChief), asked Joan to work at the Murrow Indian Children’s Home. Mary Adair was the director there.

While working at the children’s home, Joan taught art classes. She taught the children during the summers. Joan saw that there were not enough Native social workers. This inspired her to spend her life helping her community. She also started a five-year project. She sold some of her artwork to raise money for an assisted living home.