Children’s author and illustrator, Dr Bronwyn Bancroft awarded significant fellowship

Bundjalung author and artist Dr Bronwyn Bancroft, best known in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector for her brightly illustrated works such as Coming Home to Country and Patterns of Australia has been awarded the Inaugural NSW Aboriginal Creative Fellowship.

The fellowship represents a new opportunity for Aboriginal artists to undertake a research project delving into the subjects and materials of the State Library of NSW’s collection. Dr Bancroft will use the $30,000 to create a new cultural work for both researchers and the general public.

Don Harwin, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and the Arts, congratulated Dr Bancroft, noting that the fellowship will support her to “bring to light a complex Australian story.”

“Telling these stories guarantees that an important part of NSW’s Aboriginal history is recorded, and brought into the future for generations to come,” he added. 

Dr Bancroft will work with State Library NSW staff to access and transform collection material into a new body of work, which highlights Bundjalung stories, histories and culture.

“The State Library of NSW welcomes this exciting opportunity to have our collections re-examined and framed by renowned First Nations artist Dr Bronwyn Bancroft, whose work brings complex and contested histories to light and, and through this Fellowship will continue to challenge, delight and inform people throughout NSW, Australia and the world,” State Library of NSW’s Manager of Indigenous Engagement Damien Webb said.

Dr Bancroft said her work – The Country Cries for Truth – My love of family and Country “drives my passion to record and to document the takeover of our Country viewed through my lens as a Mother, Bundjalung Artist and Writer.” 

“The awarding of this fellowship is an absolute honour and I am humbled to be the recipient,” she added.

Dr. Bancroft has been exhibiting nationally and internationally for over three decades. She has also illustrated and/or written 41 children’s books and has been a Director of her own company, Designer Aboriginals Pty Ltd since 1985. 

She holds positions with Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (Director) and Commonwealth Bank Indigenous Advisory Council. She was the founder and has been a volunteer senior strategist at Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative since 2009. 

For more information about her work as a children’s author and illustrator, please see here.