Joanne Currie Nalingu facts for kids

Joanne Currie Nalingu, born in 1964, is an amazing Aboriginal Australian artist. She lives in Caloundra, a town in Queensland. Joanne is famous for her beautiful paintings. One of her most well-known artworks, The River is Calm, won a big award called the Wynne Prize in 2008.

Growing Up

Joanne Currie Nalingu is part of the Gunggari people, an Aboriginal group from Queensland. She was born in a place called the Mitchell Yumba's Aboriginal mission. As a child, she lived in different towns like Amby and Brisbane.

Her Art Journey

Joanne is a special artist because she taught herself how to paint! She started painting in 1989. Just two years later, in 1991, her art was shown in exhibitions for the first time. By 1994, she was so good that she received a special grant from Arts Queensland.

In 2008, her painting The River is Calm won the famous Wynne Prize. This award is a big deal for landscape artists in Australia. You can find this award-winning painting at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. In 2009, she was also a finalist for the Sunshine Coast Art Prize.

A well-known artist named Lin Onus was a mentor to Joanne. He helped guide her in her art journey.

Art Shows and Exhibitions

Joanne's paintings have been shown in many art galleries.

Solo Shows

She has had her own art shows, where only her paintings were displayed.

• One big show was called 'Give 'em Currie'. It was at the Caloundra Regional Art Gallery from December 2003 to March 2004. This show was huge, with sixty of her paintings filling three gallery rooms!
• Another solo show was at The Jewellery and Art Gallery @ Carrington's in Noosa Junction in October 2011.

Group Shows

Joanne's art has also been part of shows with other artists.

• In August 2008, her paintings were shown at FireWorks gallery alongside artworks by Vincent Serico. Quentin Bryce, who was the Governor of Queensland at the time, visited this exhibition.
• In April 2012, her work was shown again with Vincent Serico's paintings in an exhibition called 'Riverdays'. This show was held at the Gympie Regional Gallery. It focused on stories about living near rivers when they were younger. Joanne's painted shield designs, inspired by water forms from her home area, Maranoa, were featured here.