Citizenship Australian | Name Jack Wilkie-Jans | |
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Full Name Jack Andrew Jans Born August 8, 1992 (age 31) ( 1992-08-08 ) Cairns, Queensland, Australia Nationality Australian (Aboriginal) Other names Jack Andrew Wilkie-Jans Occupation Artist, Aboriginal Affairs Advocate Awards Alumni National Gallery of Australia's Wesfarmer's Indigenous Arts Leadership Program, Nominee the Cultural Award Cairns Regional Australia Day Awards, Jan McLucas Volunteer Initiative Award, Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society Website www.jackandrewwilkiejans.weebly.com.au | ||
Jack Andrew Jans or Jack Andrew Wilkie-Jans is a contemporary Australian artist and Aboriginal Affairs advocate.
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Born in Cairns, far north Queensland in 1992 Jack is of mixed heritage (British, Danish & Indigenous Australian- Waanyi, Teppathiggi and Tjungundji tribes).
Jack made his introduction to the local art scene in 2011 after having been a successful applicant of the Youth Arts Queensland Starbust grant. This opportunity he extended to Cairns-based young and emerging artists to exhibit their works.
In October 2011 Jack became an alumnus of, and was one of 10 indigenous Australian artists and artsworkers to travel to the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra to participate in, the second Wesfarmer's Indigenous Arts Leadership Program.
From 2011-2014 Jack held three solo exhibitions. In 2012 Jack organised a charity art auction to raise funds for the cause of Suicide Prevention for the Declan Crouch Fund. In 2013 he was nominated for the Cultural Award for the Cairns Region's Australia Day Awards for his work in the creative sector.
As a part of the 2013 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair's CIAF Presents official programming Jack organised and presented the Art for Autism exhibition which raised funds for Autism Queensland
In 2015 he was made an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society. He is also a recipient of the Senator Jan McLucas Volunteer Initiative Award and was a nominee for the Cairns Region Australia Day Awards for the Cultural Award, both for his work with supporting local charities and the arts.
Criticisms
In 2011 the then Editor at Large of The Cairns Post and now Member for Cairns and Assistant Minister for Tourism Gavin King MP wrote an editorial, calling Jack a "bizarre candidate". The article was published shortly after Jack had announced to the Cairns media that he intended to run for Local Government for the local Division Seat, Division 9, on the Cairns Regional Council.
Due to his short-lived campaign a local political blog, Hillbilly Watch, and blog readers further criticised Jack of being "uninterested" in Local Government concerns and of self-promotion.
Aboriginal Affairs
Since withdrawing his candidacy for the Local Government election in 2011 Jack remains an advocate for Aboriginal Affairs. In 2012 he urged State and Federal Governments to further back and invest in mental health services for prison inmates, making mention of the high rates of depression and suicide among prisoners and also the high representation of Indigenous people in the prison system. Jack has urged against intervention in remote Aboriginal communities such as Alcohol Management Plans and also the Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory Bill 2011, having made submissions against such action by the Australian Federal Government and also against the Northern Territory's Chief Minister Adam Giles MLA's proposal to initiate forced adoption of Aboriginal Children living remotely
In 2014 Jack became one of the youngest board members to be elected to Cape York Sustainable Futures Inc. which is Cape York’s peak organisation for advocacy, economic and community development. In 2015 he was elected as Deputy Chair to the organisation.
In 2013 Jack appeared on the National Indigenous Television news program speaking out against the Queensland Government's decision to reverse their initial decision to cut funding to the Noel Pearson Welfare Reform Trials in the Western Cape. His views were also covered by the First Nations Telegraph and the National Indigenous Radio Service He also joined the Federal Member for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch, in standing up against former Federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke's plans to World Heritage List the Cape York stating that "sustainable practices are adopted enabling a working, non-destructive use of the environment".
In 2015 Jack spoke up against the proposed forced closures of remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia. He remains a strong advocate for grass-roots approaches towards governance in the Cape York region.
Jack is a member of the Cairns branch of the Deaths in Custody Watch Group and is also a member of the First Nations' Committee for Holistic Wellbeing. Jack has long been an advocate for grass-roots consultation and decision making by the First Nations peoples of Australia for First Nations peoples of Australia.
Arts career
From 2011-2012 Jack was a volunteer Co-Director for Cell Art Space In 2011 Jack, along with 10 other participants, was accepted as a participant in the National Gallery of Australia's Wesfarmer's Indigenous Arts Leadership Program. Jack has also been a long time supporter of the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair and also a supporter of the Art Fair's transition towards a more sustainable management and funding model
In 2011 he, along with many other volunteers who work in a wide selection of industries, was awarded the Senator Jan McLucas Volunteer Recognition Award for his efforts and work with youth at risk with youth charities and for his efforts in strengthening the local Cairns arts & cultural scene. For the 2011 Tropics of the Imagination Conference, hosted by James Cook University, Jack made a presentation about the future and past of Contemporary and Tradition Aboriginal Australian Art. In 2011 Jack was a recipient of a Starburst grant/mentoring opportunity which was funded by Youth Arts Queensland. The '2012’ Exhibition showcased many emerging artists alongside many established local artists- providing emerging artists with exhibition preparation skills and networks.
In May 2012, Jack held his first solo exhibition at C.1907 Gallery & Art Space. The exhibition was titled the First & Last Fleet and spoke of the most significant moment in Australian history, when the First Fleet landed on Australian shores, changing the landscape and both social and physically forever. In August 2012 Jack held a solo exhibition throughout the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, with the Indigenous Beautiful Art Spaces programme partnered with Art Queensland, the Cairns Regional Council and the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair. The exhibition was held at Vibe Bar and Lounge in Cairns. The exhibition traveled in October to another venue in Cairns, the Salt House.
Jack been featured in several exhibitions at various Cairns galleries and art venues as well as being featured in the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair and the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair.
In 2014 Jack was listed as a speaker on contemporary Aboriginal art at the Empowering Aboriginal Communities conference to be held in May in Sydney.