Barbara McGrady (born 1950) is an Aboriginal Australian photographer and photojournalist based in Sydney, New South Wales. She is the first Indigenous Australian photojournalist.

Early life and education

Barbara McGrady was born in 1950 in Mungindi, New South Wales.[1][2] She is a Gomeroi (Gamilaraay) and Murri woman,[1][3] from the north-west of NSW and southern Queensland.[4] Her aunts were removed from the family and sent to Cootamundra Girls' Home, while the men were sent to work as indentured labourers.[2]

McGrady started taking photos of her family and surroundings as a teenager with a camera her mother bought her. Her fascination with photo journalism was sparked by black and white photographs of black sportsmen and sportswomen in magazines like Time and Life, National Geographic, Esquire and Reader's Digest.[5][3]

She trained as a sociologist, and is an athlete and sports lover.[1]

Career

McGrady has been photographing political and social events of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and families of the Redfern, Surry Hills, and Waterloo communities for 30 years from her perspective as a Gomeroi woman.[4]

She is the first Indigenous photojournalist in Australia.[6]

She specialises in recording Indigenous Australian 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,[3] who is also a personal friend.[5] According to Foley, McGrady is a "true historian" because she documents Aboriginal experience.[3]

Her works include iconic images of Adam Goodes with Lewis Jetta and Lance (Buddy) Franklin and the Indigenous round in AFL football;[2] world champion Aboriginal boxer Anthony "Choc" Mundine; the Koori Knockout Carnival (one of the biggest Indigenous gatherings in Australia); and the Sista Girls of the Sydney Mardi Gras.[4] She has also photographed Prince Harry, as well as concerts by British singer Ed Sheeran, and American rappers Nelly and Snoop Dogg.[3]

In 2020, her significant new audiovisual 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.[1]

McGrady works as a freelancer, and as of 2019 is an active member of the Glebe community. She donates much time pro bono for community assignments.[3]

Publication and recognition

McGrady's work has been published in outlets such as NAIDOC, NITV, National Indigenous Times, Reconciliation Australia, Aboriginal Legal Service, and Gadigal Information Service.[3]

McGrady features in "Through the Lens with Barbara McGrady", an episode in the 2013 documentary television series Desperate Measures.[7][8] It is available on SBS on Demand.[9]

Awards

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.[6]

She suffers from COPD, which hinders her physical movement.[6]

Exhibitions

Collections

Some of McGrady's works are held in the Australian Museum in Sydney.[16]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The name refers to the saying "Always was, always will be Aboriginal land", associated with the Aboriginal land rights movement and other protests.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Barbara McGrady". Biennale of Sydney. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Hogben, Lisa (29 January 2018). "Breaking Good: Barbara McGrady - our first Aboriginal female photojournalist". Capture. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Always Will Be - Barbara McGrady". NITV. 20 January 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Always Will Be: Barbara McGrady 2017 - Exhibition". Australian Centre for Photography. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  5. 1 2 Cross, Hannah (15 October 2019). "Indigenous photojournalist Barbara McGrady scoots into a new life". National Indigenous Times. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Hore, Alison (10 May 2021). "Barbara McGrady: The First Nations photojournalist that shaped the industry". City Hub Sydney. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  7. ↑ "Through the Eyes of Lens with Merv Bishop (2013) - The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  8. ↑ "Through the Lens with Barbara McGrady (2013) - The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  9. ↑ Desperate Measures
  10. 1 2 "Artist Talk with Barbara McGrady & John Janson-Moore | Campbelltown Arts Centre". c-a-c.com.au. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  11. ↑ "News". arthere. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  12. ↑ "Inner city NAIDOC 2018". National Centre of Indigenous Excellence. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  13. ↑ "Barbara McGrady". Biennale of Sydney. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  14. ↑ "Artist talk: Barbara McGrady". Art Gallery NSW. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  15. ↑ "Barbara McGrady: Australia Has a Black History". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  16. ↑ Judge, Sara (5 November 2014). "Aunty Barb McGrady photographs". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
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