Brenda L Croft

Brenda L Croft is a Professor of Indigenous Art History & Curatorship at the School of Art & Design, The Australian National University (ANU). She is a member of the Gurindji/Malngin/Mudburra peoples and has a mixed heritage background, and her four-decade-long creative-led research focuses on Critical Indigenous Performative Autoethnography, First Nations Storywork/Storying, and Embodied Cultural Archaeology. Her work emphasizes culturally respectful engagement with Indigenous communities and explores themes of re/memorying, cultural representation, and archival practices.

• Doctor of Philosophy, UNSW (2021)
• Honorary Doctorate (Visual Arts), University of Sydney (2009)
• Master of Art Administration, UNSW (1995)

Her research spans Australian and international First Nations visual culture, with a focus on Indigenous Knowledges, creative-led methodologies, and the intersections of art, history, and cultural sovereignty. She has received significant recognition including the UNSW Dean’s Award for Outstanding PhD Thesis (2022) and ANU Advancements Academic Champion Award (2023). Her 2023 work Naabami (thou shall/will see): Barangaroo (army of me) was exhibited in Sydney Festival and The National 4, while her 2021 PhD thesis Kurrwa to Kartak included the collaborative exhibition Still in my mind: Gurindji location, experience and visuality.

Scientific Awards

• UNSW Dean’s Award for Outstanding PhD Thesis (2022)
• AIAH Art History Research Grant (2021)
• ANU CASS Research Excellence Award (2022)
• ANU Advancements Academic Champion Award (2023)
• Honorary Doctorate, University of Sydney (2009)
• Alumni Award, UNSW (2001)
• AAANZ Early Career Publishing Program selection (2022)

Her affiliations include the ARC Centre of Excellence for The Dynamics of Language (2017-22) and the Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection Advisory Committees (2022-). She will hold the Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser Chair of Australian Studies at Harvard University (2024), and has contributed to projects like the Sovereign Walks: Tracking Cultural Actions (2019-23).