Jody Broun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jody Broun
Born	Jody Broun 1963 (age 61–62) Perth, Western Australia
Nationality	Aboriginal Australian
Occupation	Public servant and activist
Awards	Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (1998) Canberra Art Prize (2005)

Jody Broun (born 1963) is an Indigenous Australian artist and activist. She has had a long and important career. Currently, she is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Indigenous Australians Agency. Jody has studied a lot, earning a Diploma of Teaching, a Bachelor of Education, and a Masters in Philosophy.

In 1998, she won a big art prize called the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award. This was for her artwork "White Fellas Come To Talk Bout Land". Later, in 2005, she won the Canberra Art Prize for her painting "Half-Time Game". Jody Broun has shown her art in many exhibitions and won other awards too. She is a Yindjibarndi woman. Her family comes from the Pilbara region in North Western Australia. She is well-known for helping Indigenous communities across Australia.

Jody Broun's Early Life

Jody Broun was born in Perth, Western Australia, in 1963. Since then, she has lived in different parts of Australia for her work. She is a Yindjibarndi woman. Her family has strong ties to the Pilbara region in North Western Australia. Jody has one sister, Michelle Broun, who is also an artist, focusing on sculptures.

Jody Broun's mother was part of the Stolen Generation. This means she was taken from her family as a child. She was forced to live on a mission and could not see her family again until she was an adult. Because of this, Jody grew up with a very strong connection to her traditional country and family.

From a young age, Jody learned stories from her people. She often visited her traditional Pilbara land. This helped her feel very close to her relatives and her native land. This strong connection to her land and people has greatly influenced her art. Many of her paintings show the beautiful scenery of the Pilbara. You can see this in her art through the use of rich colors, shapes, and wide landscapes.

Jody was raised in Perth, Western Australia. She lived there until she moved to Sydney in 2003. In both Perth and Sydney, she worked to improve the rights and well-being of Indigenous Australians. She worked as a high school teacher at Clontarf Aboriginal College. She also became an Executive Director of Aboriginal Housing and Infrastructure in Western Australia. Later, she was the Director General of the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs NSW. Most recently, she became the Chief Executive of the Aboriginal Housing Office in New South Wales.

Her Career Journey

Jody Broun has spent over 30 years working on Aboriginal affairs. She has worked at both state and national levels. Early in her career, she worked in Western Australia. More recently, she has worked in New South Wales. A main goal throughout her career has been to help educate Aboriginal people.

For eight years, Jody held leadership roles at the New South Wales Department of Aboriginal Affairs. In 2018, she became the Chief Executive of the Aboriginal Housing Office. In this role, she helps make sure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have good, affordable homes.

Jody completed her Diploma of Teaching in 1984. She earned her Bachelor of Education in 1987. In 1987, her art was shown for the first time in a group exhibition. For most of the next ten years, Jody taught at Clontarf Aboriginal College in Perth. During this time, she also completed her Masters in Philosophy.

After leaving teaching in 1993, Jody worked for nine years as the Executive Director of Aboriginal Housing and Infrastructure. This job involved creating housing programs across the state. It also meant helping to shape policies for the Aboriginal Housing Board. During this time, she won the Telstra Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Award in 1998.

In 2003, Jody moved to Sydney. She became the Director General for the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs for seven years. In this role, she advised on and managed the department. She also led policies for Aboriginal programs. These programs focused on community development, empowerment, jobs, and housing. While working as Director General, she won the Canberra Art Prize in 2005.

From 2011 to 2013, Jody Broun was a Co-Chairperson for the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples. Here, she worked on national policies, especially health policies. She also helped with the idea of recognizing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Constitution. After this, she worked for the NSW/ACT Australian Red Cross. There, she managed many employees and volunteers. She helped deliver services to people who needed them.

Standing Up for Rights

Jody Broun has always been a strong supporter of Indigenous rights. She has spoken publicly many times to advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. She addresses various important issues.

In a 2018 interview, Jody Broun talked about racism. She spoke about the challenges Indigenous people face when trying to get help from services. She explained that racism makes it hard for Indigenous people to access important services. These include government and emergency services.

In 2013, Jody Broun was a co-chairman of the Close The Gap Coalition. This group works to improve the life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. She also supported ending the Northern Territory intervention. In 2013, Jody Broun attended a rally in Victoria Park on January 26. This protest was against Australia Day. She spoke to the crowd, celebrating Indigenous culture and its survival. She also highlighted ongoing social justice movements for Indigenous Australians.

In 2011, Jody wrote an article for the Indigenous Law Bulletin. It was called "Shaping Change: The National Congress of Australia's First Peoples Explores The Path Towards Constitutional Reform". She wrote this when she was a Co-Chair of the National Congress. The article explained why it was important to recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution. It also stressed the need to include Indigenous ideas in the Constitution.

Her Art and Style

Jody Broun is a modern Indigenous artist. She has a unique artistic style. Her art is inspired by the land and the history of Indigenous Australians. This includes their experiences during colonial times. Her artworks often show the importance of community and what matters to people.

Colonialism is a strong theme in her art. It is very clear in her award-winning painting 'White Fellas Come To Talk Bout Land'. She uses bright, contrasting colors to show the community of Indigenous people in outback Australia. These colors represent the red earth and the clear blue sky. She also uses a special "fish eye lens" view, as seen in her famous artwork.

Jody often paints in the Western Desert style. This means she uses an aerial perspective, like looking down from above. She paints on large canvases using acrylic paints. For example, her 2000 artwork "After the land meeting at Millstream" is painted with acrylic on a very large canvas. It shows the Millstream area in Western Australia.

Other paintings that show Jody Broun's artistic style include:

• "Sorry Business"
• "The Brough Line"
• "The Burden of Proof"
• "The Good Country"
• "The Protector"
• "The Whiter Side of Life"
• "Waiting for the Emu"

Major Art Awards

Jody Broun has won many awards for her art. She has also been nominated for many others. She has received grants and commissions for her artworks too. Her first major award was the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 1998. She won this in Darwin for her artwork "White Fellas Come To Talk Bout Land". She was also a finalist for this award in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2005.

In 2003, Jody Broun was a finalist for the Tattersalls Art Award in Brisbane. In 2005, she won the Canberra Art Prize for her artwork "Half-Time Game". In the same year, she was a finalist for several other art prizes. These included the Walkom Manning Art Prize and the Heysen Prize for Australian Landscape.

In 2006, Broun was a finalist for more art prizes. These included the Sunshine Coast Art Prize and The Ergon Energy Central Queensland Art Award. Many of Jody's artworks have been used in Indigenous-focused publications. For example, her art was used for the Inaugural Equal Opportunities Calendar in 1993. In 2002, her artwork was on the cover of a book titled "Putting the Picture Together". In 2006, her art was used as the cover image for the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination's calendar.