NEWS

Painting by award-winning Aboriginal teenage artist to be the centrepiece of PISA for Schools National Conference in Australia

December 16, 2021

Janison is delighted to announce that the flagship art for its first-ever 2022 PISA for Schools Australian national conference was created by an award-winning young contemporary Aboriginal painter who is only two years apart in age from the teenagers taking part in the PISA for Schools test across the country.

Brooke Sutton, 17, is a proud Kalkadoon woman whose First Nation in Mount Isa in North West Queensland is also known as the “emu foot province”.

As well having her paintings extensively exhibited across Australia, Brooke’s client and collector base includes the Federal and Queensland Government, the Australian Defence Force, Government Departments in Queensland and several Reconciliation Plan projects for a variety of organisations.

The young painter earned many of these commissions while still at school, and her achievements were recognised with a Bundaberg 2021 NAIDOC Week Youth of the Year.

Sara Ratner, Chief Academic Officer and OECD PISA for Schools Group Executive at Janison, commissioned Brooke to create the art for the conference after the painter came to her attention for her vibrant, richly symbolic work.

Sara said: “Whilst seeking inspiration for how to best represent our unique project I discovered a remarkable young person, Brooke Sutton.

“I am pleased and proud that Brooke’s imagery will represent our National PISA for Schools Conference in Australia in 2022. It encapsulates Janison’s story, our unique knowledge partnership with the OECD and of course, our commitment to improving education outcomes for all learners in all schools.

“It’s also wonderful that it represents the talents of a young woman similar in age to the participants taking part in the PISA for Schools assessment.”

The painting will feature on conference materials in Australia and will then be hung at the OECD headquarters in Paris, France.

Brooke is the younger sister to recognised Aboriginal artist Chern’ee Sutton, aged 24, whose work was a central feature at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Learning from her sister, Brooke paints visual stories which are distinctive for their colour, composition and texture and which, in addition to her high-profile commissions, have caught the eye of collectors from around the world.

Describing key aspects of the work she created for the PISA for Schools National Conference, Brooke said: “This painting is my interpretation of Janison and their journey.”

  • “The large Aqua and Green community symbol represents Janison and the U (people) symbols represent the governments, educators and corporations who use Janison’s services, with the handprint in the middle of the community symbol representing Janison’s founders, Wayne and Jacquie Houlden.
  • “The people footprints travelling from the community symbol represents the journeys of each of the clients who work with Janison and the OECD. It represents how they learn and grow while using the PISA for Schools test that Janison provides.
  • “The banksia tree and its roots represent Janison’s roots in the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. The circles underneath the roots of the tree represents their humble origins and how those origins have helped to nourish and grow the OECD and Jansion relationship to what it is today.
  • “The flowers on the banksia tree representing all of the opportunities that bloom and grow for the people who benefit from their good work.
  • “The mountains and the sand around the outside of the painting and the river through the middle represents Coffs Harbour where the company was founded and is still located today.
  • “The kangaroo and emu footprints represents the company always moving forward and never backward and the traveling lines throughout the painting connect everyone together.”

Sara said: “Brooke was enthusiastic, open-minded and super professional to work with. It was an honour and a privilege to speak with her and her dad to commission this image.

“As we’re planning our inaugural PISA for Schools National Conference in Australia I could not think of a better image (or artist) to represent our project.”

The PISA for Schools National Conference will run in the second half of 2022 and will bring together a significant line-up of international and Australian presenters. Register your interest in attending here.

If you are interested to discuss the opportunity to present at the conference, please contact us here.  

Brooke Sutton artwork