Jan Griffiths on Working with Family and Sharing Knowledge Through Generations

This story is part of a series profiling artists and mentors involved in the Country Road + NGV First Nations Commissions: My Country. In their own words, artists and mentors share their personal stories, shine a light on their work and community and share the messages they have for the next generation of First Nations creatives.

Here, Jan talks about working with her mother Peggy Griffiths, sharing knowledge across the generations and the significance of the incredible boab tree.

Mum was working at the arts centre for a long time, and I joined in 2016. We do art and we also both love fashion. Mum made a dress that won an award. At the arts centre we do painting, textile work, printing, woodwork and we make traditional artefacts as well.

You learn a lot about the cultural side of things. I like learning language to add to my work. It's good being around the leaders so that I make sure that I am not doing anything wrong and that it's all done the right way.

My work represents the boab tree across 32 works of paper. I also made ceramic boab nuts. I have white ones on top that represent the living generations. We just had our fifth generation arrive a few weeks ago!

Mum and I are similar because Mum has five children and I have five children. They are grown up of course, and I have grandchildren now. The grandchildren come down to the arts centre and see what we're working on. They love to paint and they like to mix their creations from the ochre paints, and they make their own colours.

Me and Mum, we take them out and show them bush tucker and bush medicine. The boab tree is very special. It's what our people lived off, the boab nut. It can get dry and fall to the ground and when it's raw you can roast it.

When people first come to the Kimberley region, they all love the boab tree because it's unique and there's nothing like it. I'd like to teach people that the tree doesn't just hold history and knowledge and culture. It holds survival.

I can't wait to see my work at the NGV and see what it looks like hanging up. It's only ever been on the ground, so I'm excited to see what it looks like when it's hung for the first time. I also want to see other people's work.

I'm actually making a folder up for our young artists which I will leave in the arts centre, to guide them through doing the things that I do.

The folder has two poems in it that I put together for my exhibition piece. I want them to read the poems and feel inspired. I also want to be inspired and motivated to do art to the best of my ability.

I have words and sayings that I have written down that I look at all the time. They are things like 'aspirations', 'goals' and being 'determined to strive to complete'. You do also need to have patience, be slow and steady and stay focused and have a plan.

My mother says she is very proud and happy about this work.

I will share the poem that goes with my work, and I hope it guides emerging artists.