Joan Brown (born 1945) is an American artist, illustrator and educator. She is of

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

and Creek descent from Oklahoma. Her work is of the Bacone school style.

Early life and education

Brown was born and raised in the small town of Yahola, in Northeastern Oklahoma. Her father was Native American and was a

drafter A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman or drafting technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawings or plans for ...

and worked at Douglas Aircraft Company in Tulsa. Brown learned to love art from a young age. After her father’s death, Brown learned some elements of the Cherokee and Creek languages, but never became fluent as she wanted to fit in. At a craft show in the 1970s, Brown was discovered by artist

Terry Saul Chief Carl Terry Saul (1921–1976) also known as C. Terry Saul and Tabaksi, was a Choctaw Nation/Chickasaw illustrator, painter, muralist, commercial artist, and educator. He was a leader of the Choctaw/Chickasaw tribe. He served as Director of t ...

who was an art teacher at

Bacone College Bacone College, formerly Bacone Indian University, is a private tribal college in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Founded in 1880 as the Indian University by missionary Almon C. Bacone, it was originally affiliated with the mission arm of what is now Ameri ...

. Saul encouraged Brown to get her college degree and helped her get a scholarship. Saul continued to mentor Brown and encouraged her to develop and stick to her own style. Brown continued her studies and attended Northeastern Oklahoma University in the 1970s, where she studied psychology.

Art work

While raising her six children, Brown struggled to find the time to work on her art and often had to stay up late to get her work done. She started selling her work in galleries in 1978. Brown’s work heavily focuses on traditional Native women and domestic home life. Brown works in many mediums including watercolor and gouache. She is known as the, "

Norman Rockwell Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...

of Native art" and in 1986 was given the title of Master Artist by the Five Civilized Tribes. She has had various exhibitions including at the Five Civilized Tribes Museum (1972, 1991, 2019), the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art (2009), the Cherokee National Museum (1989), among others. In 1988, her hometown of Muskogee held a “Joan Brown Day.” Brown illustrated the cover of the cookbook, "Pow Wow Chow: A Collection of Recipes from Families of the Five Civilized Tribes: Cherokee, Chickasaw. Choctaw, Creek and Seminole" (1984).

Community work and activism

She has taught her children about their Native heritage and the importance of their past. Brown has expressed concerns about the lack of new artists entering the field of Native art. Brown has stated that one of her greatest achievements is her work in helping to care for older people and children in the native community. Another artist, Mary Adair (HorseChief), asked Brown to come and work at the Murrow Indian Children’s Home, where Adair was Director. While working at a children’s home she taught art classes to the children during the summers. The lack of indigenous social workers in native communities inspired Brown to spend her working life serving the needs of the community. Additionally, Brown began a five-year project to sell some of her artwork to help raise money for an assisted living home.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Joan 1945 births Living people People from Muskogee County, Oklahoma 20th-century American women artists 20th-century American painters American people who self-identify as being of Cherokee descent American people who self-identify as being of Muscogee descent Women watercolorists American watercolorists 21st-century American women artists