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

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

and Creek descent from Oklahoma. Her work is of the

Bacone school The Bacone school or Bacone style of painting, drawing, and printmaking is a Native American intertribal "Flatstyle" art movement, primarily from the mid-20th century in Eastern Oklahoma and named for Bacone College. This art movement bridges hist ...

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 English, British and English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman, drafting technician, or CAD technician in American English, American and Canadia ...

and worked at

Douglas Aircraft Company The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and military, defense company based in Southern California. Founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr., it merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell D ...

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 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 American Bapt ...

. 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 The Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee, Oklahoma, showcases the art, history, and culture of the so-called "Five Civilized Tribes": the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole tribes. Housed in the historic Union Indi ...

(1972, 1991, 2019), the

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is an art museum on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, Oklahoma. Overview The University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art holds over 20,000 objects in its permanent collection. The museum ...

(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 painters American people of Cherokee descent American people of Muscogee descent American women watercolorists American watercolorists 21st-century American women artists 20th-century American women painters