cartoonist (“absolutely no relation”), was born in Melbourne on 22 June 1957; attended La Trobe University in 1975-79 and received BA (Hons) in Prehistory, then worked as an archaeologist for the WA Aboriginal Sites Dept, MOV (1980-82). In 1983-85 he was at Australian National University doing a B. Letters in Anthropology, then worked as an anthropologist for the Northern Land Council (1985-88), when he began drawing cartoons. Most were for Land Rights News [LRN] (contributed 1985-92), published by the Northern Teritory Land Council. 8 cartoons from LRN were included in Kaz Cooke (ed.), Beyond a Joke: The Anti-Bicentenary Cartoon Book (Penguin, 1988) pp.1, 6 (First Fleet Landing: “Oh no… International Terrorists!”), 20, 69, 77, 89, 132, 141. He also worked as a cartoonist on Australasian Biotechnology (1993-95) and Antiquity (1993-97).
Three original cartoons on Aboriginal topics, evidently from LRN – ’1799: “Look it’s not working, they’ve had Land Rights for over ten years now, but they’re drunk on rum, they fight, they still can’t support themselves without massive injections of our aid … no … we’ll have to take the land back, c.1988, 'New Parliament House’ c.1988, and 'You’ve stolen our art, you’ve stolen our music, you’ve stolen our land … BUT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!! [whitefella painting himself black], c.1996 – were included in Artists and Cartoonists in Black and White at the S.H. Ervin Gallery in 1999 via Jo Holder (courtesy artist).
Michael Pickering signs his (post-Leunig style) cartoons with illegible initials. In 1989 he won second prize in a cartoon competition conducted by Search (the journal of the Australian and New Zealand Assoc. for the Advancement of Science). His cartoons illustrate D. Smith & B. Halstead’s Looking for your Mob: A guide to tracing Aboriginal Family Trees (Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press, 1990). In 1995 he was awarded third prize in the Black 'n’ White 'n’ Green cartoon competition at the Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs (entries also produced as a book).
After doing a PhD in Archaeology at La Trobe in 1989-97, Pickering worked as a Regional Officer for the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority in the Northern Territory, then Senior Research Officer Native Title, for Aboriginal Affairs Victoria. In 1998 he was appointed Head Curator in the Indigenous Cultures Program, Museum Victoria and later appointed Head of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program at the National Museum of Australia.
- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
- Date written:
- 1996
- Last updated:
- 2007
