Inspirational Australian Artists

Australia is home to many talented and inspirational artists. Here’s a list of some of them:

Ella Havelka is a Wiradjuri woman and the first Indigenous ballerina to join the Australian Ballet. She is also a member of the Bangarra Dance Theatre. Raised by a single parent, Ella walked a difficult path towards becoming a ballerina, applying for many scholarships to fund her dream, but always receiving the strong support of her mother.

Dr Mandawuy Yunupingu was the lead singer of the Aboriginal band Yothu Yindi, and a member of the Gumatj people, one of 16 groups of the Yolngu people. He was also the first Indigenous Australian school principal. Posthumously, he was given a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).

Chloe Hayden is one of the first autistic actors to play an autistic character, having played the role of Quinni in the Netflix reboot of Heartbreak High. She is also an activist and the author of the book Different, Not Less. She was diagnosed with autism when she was 13 and ADHD at 22.

Richard Bell is an Aboriginal Australian activist, artist and member of the Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman and Gurang Gurang communities. He won the Telstra National Aboriginal Art Award in 2003 and was a finalist in the Archibald Prize in 2015. His art has been a part of various exhibitions, solo and collaborative.

Miles Franklin was an author and feminist. She wrote multiple novels including her most famous, My Brilliant Career. When she moved to Chicago, she worked as a secretary for the National Women’s Trade Union League.

Sources: https://www.ellahavelka.com/ https://fashionjournal.com.au/life/what-its-like-to-be-the-first-indigenous-dancer-in-the-australian-ballet/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Miles-Franklin https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/stories/miles-franklin https://www.portrait.gov.au/people/mandawuy-yunupingu-1956 https://www.smh.com.au/national/how-chloe-hayden-became-one-of-the-first-autistic-actors-to-play-an-autistic-character-in-amajor-tv-series-20220921-p5bju6.html https://richardbellart.com/about/ https://www.chloehayden.com.au/about-chloe https://www.mitchtambo.com/bio

Mitch Tambo is an Indigenous singersongwriter and proud Gamilaraay man. In the semi-finals of Australia’s Got Talent 2019, he performed a cover of John Farnham’s ‘You’re The Voice’ in Gamilaraay language.