Barbara McGrady (born 1950) is an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

photographer and

photojournalist Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...

based in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. She is the first

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

photojournalist.

Early life and education

Barbara McGrady was born in 1950 in Mungindi, New South Wales. She is a

Gomeroi The Gamilaraay, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Aust ...

(Gamilaraay) and Murri woman, from the north-west of NSW and southern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. Her aunts were removed from the family and sent to Cootamundra Girls' Home, while the men were sent to work as indentured labourers. McGrady started taking photos of her family and surroundings as a teenager with a camera her mother bought her. Her fascination with

photo journalism Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...

was sparked by

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

photographs of black sportsmen and sportswomen in magazines like ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' and ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

'', ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'', ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' and '' Reader's Digest''. She trained as a sociologist, and is an

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

and sports lover.

Career

McGrady has been photographing political and social events of the

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

peoples and families of the Redfern, Surry Hills, and

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

communities for 30 years from her perspective as a Gomeroi woman. She is the first Indigenous photojournalist in Australia. She specialises in recording

sporting figures and events. Among the famous people McGrady has photographed are prominent activist for Australia's First Nations People, Gary Foley, a human rights activist and historian at Victoria University, Melbourne, who is also a personal friend. According to Foley, McGrady is a "true historian" because she documents Aboriginal experience. Her works include iconic images of Adam Goodes with

Lewis Jetta Lewis Jetta (born 4 May 1989) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Swan Districts Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). Career Early career Jetta played his junior football with Carey Park Junior Football ...

and Lance (Buddy) Franklin and the

Indigenous round The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling ...

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

football; world champion Aboriginal boxer Anthony "Choc" Mundine; the

Koori Knockout NSW Koori Rugby League Knockout Carnival is one of the biggest Indigenous gatherings in Australia. The first knockout was held at Camdenville Park, St Peters, on the October long weekend of 1971 with seven participating teams. The winning team ga ...

Carnival (one of the biggest Indigenous gatherings in Australia); and the Sista Girls of the

Sydney Mardi Gras The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney, New South Wales attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest such festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the ...

. She has also photographed Prince Harry, as well as concerts by British singer Ed Sheeran, and American rappers

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...

and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

. In 2020, her significant new

audiovisual Audiovisual (AV) is electronic media possessing both a sound and a visual component, such as slide-tape presentations, films, television programs, corporate conferencing, church services, and live theater productions. Audiovisual service prov ...

multi-channel installation, ''Ngiyaningy Maran Yaliwaunga Ngaara-li (Our Ancestors Are Always Watching)'', produced in collaboration with photographer and filmmaker John Janson-Moore, was presented at

Campbelltown Arts Centre Campbelltown Arts Centre (C-A-C or CAC) is a multidisciplinary contemporary arts centre located in Campbelltown, New South Wales, south west of Sydney, Australia. It is a cultural facility of Campbelltown City Council, assisted by other governm ...

. McGrady works as a

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

r, and is an active member of the Glebe community. She donates much time

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

for community assignments.

Publication and recognition

McGrady's work has been published in outlets such as NAIDOC, NITV, '' National Indigenous Times'',

Reconciliation Australia Reconciliation Australia is a non-government, not-for-profit foundation established in January 2001 to promote a continuing national focus for reconciliation between Indigenous (i.e. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) and non-Indige ...

, Aboriginal Legal Service, and Gadigal Information Service. McGrady features in "Through the Lens with Barbara McGrady", an episode in the 2013 documentary television series '' Desperate Measures''. It is available on

SBS on Demand SBS is a national public television network in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally. In 2018, SBS had a 7.7% audience share. As of 2022, SBS is the lowest ...

Awards

* 2014: Anthony Mundine Courage Award, part of the inaugural

National Indigenous Human Rights Awards The National Indigenous Human Rights Awards are annual Australian awards that recognise the contribution of Indigenous Australians to human rights and social justice. The ceremony takes place in Sydney, New South Wales. History The National Ind ...

* 2015: Solid Screen International Award for Indigenous Women in Film and Photography, for photo media documentation

Personal life

Despite the esteem in which McGrady is held as a photojournalist, she still faces everyday racism in Australia. She is a close friend of fellow photojournalist Lisa Hogben. She suffers from COPD, which hinders her physical movement.

Exhibitions

* 2013: Head On Festival; Visions in Black and White – Images from Indigenous Australia Redfern Community Centre, Sydney * 2014: Head On Photographic Exhibition: McGrady held a one-woman exhibition of her work at The Rocks Discovery Museum 15 May to 20 July 2014 * 2017: ''Always Will Be'', at the

Australian Centre for Photography The Australian Centre for Photography (ACP) is a not-for-profit photography gallery in Darlinghurst, Sydney, Australia that was established in 1973. ACP also provides part-time courses and community programs. It is one of the longest running con ...

, 3 November – 9 December 2017, curated by Sandy Evans and complemented by NITV & ACP Online Resource * 2018: Inner City NAIDOC – Deadly Women of Redfern by Aunty Barbara McGrady * 2020:

* 2020: Artist Talk with John Janson-Moore * 2020: As part of the 2020 Biennale of Sydney, McGrady's work was hung in the

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most importa ...

. Her 2013 image of TJ Hickey's family was hung in the gallery's Entrance Court. However the Biennale was cancelled and the Gallery closed in line with the NSW government's social distancing regulations during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 Januar ...

. * 2023: Barbara McGrady: Australia Has a Black History, at the

Chau Chak Wing Museum The Chau Chak Wing Museum is a museum at the University of Sydney, Australia. It was formed by the amalgamation of the Nicholson Museum, the Macleay Museum, and the university art collection, with the building funded by businessman Chau Chak Wing ...

, December 2023 - June 2024.

Collections

Some of McGrady's works are held in the Australian Museum in

Footnotes

References

External links

Barbara McGrady
on

Google Arts and Culture Google Arts & Culture (formerly Google Art Project) is an online platform of high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from partner cultural organizations throughout the world. It utilizes high-resolution image technol ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGrady, Barbara 1950 births Living people Australian women photographers Indigenous Australian artists