Betty Churcher AO Memorial Oration
Former NGA director Betty Churcher. Photo: John Tsiavis
Betty Churcher AO (1931–2015) was a leading Australian arts educator and administrator. During her esteemed career, Churcher was the first woman to lead an Australian tertiary education centre as Dean of the School of Art and Design at Phillip Institute of Technology in Melbourne (1982–1987), the first woman to lead a state gallery as Director of Art Gallery of Western Australia (1987–1990) and the first and only woman Director of the National Gallery (1990–1997) to date. Established in 2022 as part of the National Gallery’s Gender Equity Action Plan, the Betty Churcher AO Memorial Oration is a major annual event featuring leading women in the arts who inspire creativity, inclusivity, engagement and learning.
Past presenters of the Betty Churcher AO Memorial Oration include:
- Dr Melissa Chiu (2022)
- Maria Balshaw CBE (2023)
- Dame Quentin Bryce AD, CVO (2024)
Watch Past lectures
Dame Quentin Bryce AD. Image courtesy of Dame Quentin Bryce AD.
Betty Churcher AO Memorial Oration 2024
With Dame Quentin Bryce AD, CVO
Maria Balshaw CBE, Director of Tate at Bridget Riley Retrospecitve Exhibiton At Hayward Gallery, Photo: Jeff Spicer, Getty Images
Betty Churcher AO Memorial Oration 2023
With Maria Balshaw CBE
Dr Melissa Chiu, Director, Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Betty Churcher AO Memorial Oration 2022
With Dr Melissa Chiu
