When: Tuesday 26 March, 6pm - 7:30pm
Cost: Free
Where: Wagga Wagga Art Gallery

Join us on Tuesday 26 March at Wagga Wagga Art Gallery for a panel discussion on philanthropy and the arts. No, we won’t be shaking you upside down looking for coins to fall, but we do want to start a conversation about purposeful giving.

Arts philanthropy is an investment in shaping the kind of community we’d all like to live in – creative, vibrant, lively. Philanthropy makes possible great local art collections, opportunities for creatives to produce new work and skills development for children.

The act of giving, small or large, is something we can all be part of. Together we can build the future and leave a legacy for our community.

Facilitated by Vickie Burkinshaw, guest speakers include: Esther Anatolitis, Editor of Meanjin, Artist Julia Roche, Farmer, Businesswoman and Arts philanthropist Gill Sanbrook and Director of Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Dr Lee-Anne Hall.

Esther Anatolitis

Esther Anatolitis has worked within the arts advocacy sector for over two decades—including significant leadership positions as former Executive Director of the National Association for the Visual Arts, former Director of Regional Arts Victoria, and former Deputy Chair of Contemporary Arts Precincts—Esther has developed engaging and successful strategies that build lasting philanthropic relationships.

Esther is currently editor of Australia’s oldest literary journal, Meanjin, Honorary A/Prof at RMIT School of Art, and member of the National Gallery of Australia’s Governing Council.

Julia Roche

Julia Roche lives on Wiradjuri country at the property ‘Wooroola’ near Mangoplah. After ten years painting, studying, and working in Sydney, Julia moved back to Wagga Wagga in 2018 with a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Sydney College of the Arts and a Master of Teaching from UWS.

Since 2022 Julia has participated in Wagga Wagga Art Gallery’s Regional Artist Development program, culminating in her selection to work with Sydney based curator Hayley Megan French in developing a new body of work for the forthcoming exhibition, When Our Eyes Adjust.

Dr Lee-Anne Hall

Lee-Anne Hall is the Director of Wagga Wagga Art Gallery. Across her career she has worked in senior creative and managerial roles in arts organisations in regional and metropolitan SA and NSW, and, as an educator in the tertiary education sector at UTS, University of Sydney and Western Sydney University. Lee-Anne is passionate about regional artist development.

Lee-Anne believes philanthropy to be the key to organisational health and autonomy; “Active philanthropy is an investment in our quality of life and our children’s future”.

Vickie Burkinshaw

Vickie Burkinshaw is passionate about the arts in all its forms from visual arts to music and drag. As the owner of The Curious Rabbit and President of the Friends of the Gallery Vickie wants to see the philanthropic ecosystem develop in the region to enable young people to dream of a career in the arts.

Gillian Sanbrook

Gillian Sanbrook involvement in the arts started with an interest in art investment. She set up 2 Art Investment groups for 10 years each. In 2019 set up a non for profit company Earth Canvas with 6 of Australia’s leading landscape artists to work on 6 Regenerative farms in the Riverina. The artwork from Earth Canvas formed an exhibition that travelled to 7 Regional galleries and museums, finishing at the Australian National Museum in Canberra in 2022. Gill is a member of the MAMA Foundation in Albury, Chairman of Earth Canvas and Artstream Albury. She is passionate about providing a forum for artists to be part of social change.