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At just 20 years old, Aretha Brown had already accomplished more than most, particularly when it comes to activism. At 16 she delivered an impassioned speech at the Invasion Day Rally in Melbourne, fighting to make Indigenous history education mainstream. This led her to become the prime minister for the National Indigenous Youth Parliament, the youngest person – and the first woman – to hold this position. What’s more, Brown is an accomplished artist who has already exhibited works at the National Gallery of Victoria and is currently studying painting at the Victorian College of the Arts. It is this combination of art and activism that will see her in Canberra this weekend, as part of the Art Activism by Great Women Conference. Presented by Kambri at ANU and curated and produced by aMBUSH Gallery, the conference is a celebration of game-changing Australian women who use art to speak out about the change they wish to make in the world and have overcome barriers to pursue their goals. “The exhibition is all centred around female artists and telling those unique, diverse stories,” Brown says. “It’s about feeling like you’re in a space where being a woman isn’t a hindrance or a burden. It’s very much accepted and welcomed. I think it’ll be a safe space to tell a lot of stories.” READ MORE: Brown will be joined by fellow female artists Kaff-eine, Jane Gillings, and Claire Martin. Each will discuss their art and area of activism, sharing powerful ideas, diverse perspectives and inspiring action in both individual talks and a group panel discussion. As the youngest person to be invited to the conference, it does not escape Brown just how unusual it is to have a 20-year-old speaking on a panel. “The thing that I always go back to is understanding the trailblazing women in leadership positions – and even women that don’t hold leadership positions in a typical sense – and the pathways they have made so that I, at 20 years old, can speak at a conference,” she says. “I live in a very special time as a young person where being a young Indigenous person, people want to hear my stories and what I have to say because it’s something that we don’t hear a lot of. “That’s only because of the work that my elders and women in my community have done before me.” But Brown says the work she does – and has become known for – is simply an extension of the conversations she was having in her classroom. “All I’m talking about is my experience in high school and what that was like as an Indigenous person,” she says. “It’s the stuff that I had to deal with daily that was like racially targeted bullying, which got worse throughout high school. “It just shows how needed that conversation is, which is evident in people wanting to hear the story and see my art. It’s kind of sad that this is just not a story that we get to hear often.” Art Activism by Great Women Conference is on Sunday from 2pm to 7pm. Tickets from Eventbrite. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
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At just 20 years old, Aretha Brown had already accomplished more than most, particularly when it comes to activism.
At 16 she delivered an impassioned speech at the Invasion Day Rally in Melbourne, fighting to make Indigenous history education mainstream. This led her to become the prime minister for the National Indigenous Youth Parliament, the youngest person – and the first woman – to hold this position.
What’s more, Brown is an accomplished artist who has already exhibited works at the National Gallery of Victoria and is currently studying painting at the Victorian College of the Arts.
It is this combination of art and activism that will see her in Canberra this weekend, as part of the Art Activism by Great Women Conference.
Presented by Kambri at ANU and curated and produced by aMBUSH Gallery, the conference is a celebration of game-changing Australian women who use art to speak out about the change they wish to make in the world and have overcome barriers to pursue their goals.
“The exhibition is all centred around female artists and telling those unique, diverse stories,” Brown says.
“It’s about feeling like you’re in a space where being a woman isn’t a hindrance or a burden. It’s very much accepted and welcomed. I think it’ll be a safe space to tell a lot of stories.”
Brown will be joined by fellow female artists Kaff-eine, Jane Gillings, and Claire Martin. Each will discuss their art and area of activism, sharing powerful ideas, diverse perspectives and inspiring action in both individual talks and a group panel discussion.
As the youngest person to be invited to the conference, it does not escape Brown just how unusual it is to have a 20-year-old speaking on a panel.
“The thing that I always go back to is understanding the trailblazing women in leadership positions – and even women that don’t hold leadership positions in a typical sense – and the pathways they have made so that I, at 20 years old, can speak at a conference,” she says.
“I live in a very special time as a young person where being a young Indigenous person, people want to hear my stories and what I have to say because it’s something that we don’t hear a lot of.
“That’s only because of the work that my elders and women in my community have done before me.”
But Brown says the work she does – and has become known for – is simply an extension of the conversations she was having in her classroom.
“All I’m talking about is my experience in high school and what that was like as an Indigenous person,” she says.
“It’s the stuff that I had to deal with daily that was like racially targeted bullying, which got worse throughout high school.
“It just shows how needed that conversation is, which is evident in people wanting to hear the story and see my art. It’s kind of sad that this is just not a story that we get to hear often.”
Art Activism by Great Women Conference is on Sunday from 2pm to 7pm. Tickets from Eventbrite.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
