Show Notes
Join Director of Tate, UK, Maria Balshaw CBE, for an excerpt from her 2023 Betty Churcher AO Memorial Oration.
Painter, teacher, art critic, television host, author and gallery director, Betty Churcher AO (1931-2015) was part of the lifeblood of the visual arts in Australia. While her father believed ‘education spoiled a girl’, Churcher fought to complete her studies, further her education in London, and to forge a path for women to take positions of authority in the arts in Australia. She was the first woman to head a tertiary institution, become director of a state gallery, and to lead the National Gallery of Australia.
Affectionately dubbed ‘Betty Blockbuster’ for her love of bringing major international exhibitions to Australia, Churcher was passionate about making art relevant and accessible. In honour of her legacy, every year since 2022 the Gallery has hosted the Betty Churcher AO Memorial Oration, featuring leading women in the arts who inspire creativity, inclusivity, engagement and learning.
As we count down to the 2025 oration – featuring feminist artist Judy Chicago in conversation with art historian Katy Hessel – we revisit these orations from women who share Churcher's groundbreaking spirit.
Maria Balshaw was appointed as Director of Tate in 2017, and like Betty Churcher, was the first woman to hold this position. A champion of inclusivity, under Maria’s leadership Tate has reframed its global context including elevating the climate crisis, gender equity, and decolonisation. You can view Maria's entire oration here: https://nga.gov.au/on-demand/betty-churcher-memorial-oration-2023/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from NGA Art Talks
NGA Art Talks: The Gleeson Tapes is a new series revisiting key conversations from the James Gleeson Oral History Collection.
NGA Art Talks: The Gleeson Tapes is a new podcast series revisiting key conversations from the James Gleeson Oral History Collection.
In the late 1970s, before the National Gallery of Australia opened its doors, the surrealist artist and writer James Gleeson set out across Australia with a microphone and a mission: to build an oral history archive that captured the stories behind key works of art in the national collection, told by the artists themselves.
In the late 1970s, before the National Gallery of Australia opened its doors, the surrealist artist and writer James Gleeson set out across Australia with a microphone and a mission: to build an oral history archive that captured the stories behind key works of art in the national collection, told by the artists themselves.
Join Quincy Houghton, Deputy Director for Exhibitions and International Initiatives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as we revisit this year’s Betty Churcher AO Memorial Oration, recorded live at the National Gallery for International Women’s Day in March 2026.