Thresholds: Sally Neaves interviews Margaret Broadbent

Margaret Broadbent rsm is a Melbourne-based Sister of Mercy and artist who carries within the mystical vision of Viriditas, Hildegard’s “greening power” of all things. After wanting to be an artist from the age of 6, Margaret’s dream was put on hold while she joined the Sisters of Mercy in the post-Vatican II era and became a teacher. Years in the wilderness of the Great Sandy Desert with an aboriginal community, solitary time in the Cathedral Ranges, and adventures into Russian Iconography were transformative experiences that are still taking expression in her artwork today. Margaret told us about a new phase for her life as an artist she is entering now, explorations into the Tree of Life.