Jody Broun

Jody Broun (born 1963) is an Indigenous Australian artist and activist with a long-standing career, most recently with her current position being Chief Executive Officer of the National Indigenous Australians Agency. She has completed a Diploma of Teaching, Bachelor of Education and a Masters in Philosophy.

Jody Broun's mother was part of the Stolen Generation and as a child was taken from her family and forced to live on a mission. Her mother was unable to meet her family again until she was an adult. Due to this, when Jody Broun was a child she had strong ties to her traditional country and family. Broun's love for country was instilled from a young age where she learnt the stories of her people and visited her traditional Pilbara land regularly.

Career Jody Broun has spent the last 30 years of her career with a focus on Aboriginal affairs at both state and national levels. In the first part of her career, Broun worked in Western Australia, and more recently, she has worked in New South Wales. Broun's main aspect and commitment of her career is to the education of Aboriginal people.

Jody Broun completed her Diploma of Teaching (1984) at Nedlands Teachers College and Bachelor of Education (1987) at Edith Cowan University. In 2013, Jody Broun also attended a rally in Victoria Park on 26 January in protest against Australia Day. Broun spoke to the crowd, acknowledging the history and survival of Indigenous culture, along with ongoing social justice movements of Indigenous Australians.

In 2011 Broun wrote a July/August issue in the Indigenous Law Bulletin titled "Shaping Change: The National Congress of Australia's First Peoples Explores The Path Towards Constitutional Reform". This five page article was written during the time when Jody Broun was a Co-Chair of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples. This article outlined the need for constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in terms of reform and the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in constitution.

Artistic style Jody Broun is a contemporary Indigenous artist with a distinct artistic style. This involves drawing on influencers of country and the history of Indigenous Australians in colonial Australia. The artworks are focused on capturing the importance of community and what is important to the people. Colonialism is also reflected in her artworks, and is very prominent in 'White Fellas Come To Talk Bout Land'. These themes are depicted by the use of contrasting vibrant colours portraying the community of the Indigenous people that live in outback Australia. These colours represent the red earth of the outback and the strikingly clear blue sky, along with the unique fish eye lens perspective, as demonstrated in her "White Fellas Come To Talk Bout Land" award-winning artwork. Broun depicts the Western Desert styled painting using an aerial perspective also portrayed in her 1999 award-winning artwork. Broun's artworks are painted on large canvases with the use of acrylic paints. An example of this is portrayed in her 2000 artwork called "After the land meeting at Millstream" painted with acrylic paint on a 185 x 152 cm canvas depicting the Millstream in Western Australia of the Northwest region.

Other paintings that portray the artistic style of Jody Broun include:

"Bringing Home the Killer" painted on Belgian linen (1220 mm x 910 mm) with acrylic paint "Sorry Business" painted on linen (1220 mm x 1220 mm) with acrylic paint "The Brough Line" painted on linen (1520 mm x 1220 mm) with acrylic paint "The Burden of Proof" painted on Belgian linen (1800 mm x 1600 mm) with acrylic paint "The Good Country" painted on linen (1200 mm x 1200 mm) with acrylic paint "The Protector" painted on linen (750 mm x 1000 mm) with acrylic paint "The Whiter Side of Life" painted on linen (1520 mm x 1220 mm) with acrylic paint "Waiting for the Emu" painted on linen (1000 mm x 1000 mm) with acrylic paint

Major awards and placings Jody Broun has won a variety of awards and has been nominated for many others between the years of 1993 and 2008. Broun has also been given grants and commissions for her artworks between the same years of 1993 and 2008. Her first main major award that has been awarded to Broun is the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award presented to her in Darwin Northern Territory,

Along with this award, Broun's artwork "Half-Time Game" won the Canberra Art Prize in 2005.