Tate Director Will Deliver The 2023 Betty Churcher AO Memorial Oration

For one night only, join Maria Balshaw CBE, Director of the Tate, as she explores inclusivity and equity in the arts as part of the second annual Betty Churcher AO Memorial Oration. Tickets are now open.

This lecture series was established in honour of the late Betty Churcher AO, the National Gallery's first and only female director to date. It celebrates her impact and legacy as a champion for elevating women's voices in the arts.

Maria Balshaw is Director of Tate in the United Kingdom and one of the leading voices in the international art world.

A decorated arts educator much like Churcher, she is a pragmatist and pioneer for contemporising Tate's creative direction for the current age. Balshaw was appointed as Tate's first female Director in 2017, and was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for her services to the arts in 2015.

‘Betty Churcher's legacy embodies my aspirations for Tates to make art accessible to a wider public and to ensure that the artworks in our galleries represents the dynamism and diversity of the global art scene,' said Balshaw.

‘In her time as Director of the National Gallery of Australia, Betty Churcher became for people in the arts worldwide, the representative of the new Australia, and has brought the National Gallery into the mainstream of international exhibitions. Churcher was passionate and pragmatic in equal measure, allowing her to achieve an enormous amount, particularly for women in the arts, who she tirelessly championed. I feel honoured, as a fellow female arts Director, to be speaking at an event held in this inimitable woman's name' said Balshaw.

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.   

About Maria Balshaw

Maria Balshaw is the Director of the Tate in the United Kingdom, a position she has held since 2017. She has overall responsibility for Tate's strategic direction and day-to-day operations. She has worked to reframe the context and perspective of this long-established institution to engage with sensitive times, furthering the mission of inclusiveness and equality to connect with a wider audience.

Maria holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Cultural Studies from the University of Liverpool, a Master of Arts in Critical Theory, and a PhD in African American Visual and Literary Culture from the University of Sussex. Maria is Chair of the National Museum Directors' Council and is a Trustee of the Clore Leadership Programme and Manchester International Festival's Boards. In 2015, she was awarded a CBE for her services to the arts.

About Betty Churcher AO (1931–2015)

Betty Churcher 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), first woman to lead a state gallery as Director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia (1987–1990) and first and only woman Director of the National Gallery (1990–1997).

Constantly at the forefront, Churcher's considered approach to accessibility in the arts remains clear today. She had developed a new way to access an entire demographic of casual art enthusiasts, by introducing the ‘blockbuster' to the Australian art scene. Having gained the nickname ‘Betty Blockbuster', Churcher had overseen 12 international major exhibitions at the National Gallery. Overcoming the cynics who claimed her popularist approach undermined the scholarly vigour of the arts, Churcher dramatically raised the profile and idea of what the art gallery experience could be on an international scale.

The Betty Churcher AO Memorial Oration is a ticketed event at the National Gallery of Australia in Kamberri/Canberra, and will be held on the 29th November, 2023, 6.30pm.

Curators: Russell Storer, Head Curator, International Art and Beatrice Thompson, Associate Curator, Asian and Pacific Art.

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