Australian art? Who decides?

Ann Newmarch was a significant and influential figure in the arts in South Australia for over fifty years and, while best known for her screenprints, her practice also encompassed paintings, drawings, photographs, sculpture, union banners, murals and community art projects. Her artistic practice was underpinned by a strength of conviction and rebellious streak, which saw her challenge conventions and break down many barriers in the art world. Recognised as a trailblazing feminist artist, she created works of art that tackled important political and social issues from the perspective of a woman and a mother.

During the 1970s Newmarch rose to prominence in Adelaide as a founding and influential member of several collectives in Adelaide, including the Progressive Art Movement (1974–77), the Women’s Art Movement (1976–84) and the Prospect Mural Group (1978 – 84). Her works addressed issues such as the Vietnam War, the struggle of workers, uranium mining, and Australian independence from American influence. By the late 1970s her involvement in the women’s movement and her role as a mother of two young boys, saw the subject matter of women’s issues and motherhood/childhood taking a greater prominence in her oeuvre. Many of her works were created as screenprints, which could be made quickly and in large editions, enabling her ideas to reach a broad audience, beyond the traditional confines of gallery walls. Newmarch was also an influential teacher and inspiration to many other artists, both through her role as lecturer at the South Australian School of Art (1969 – 2000) and through her leadership in community art projects,  articularly in Prospect, where she made murals and initiated the practice of Stobie pole paintings.

In 1997 Newmarch was the first living female artist to have a retrospective exhibition at AGSA, The Personal is Political, and her work is widely represented in Australian national and state collections. Newmarch is also recognised internationally – being represented in the collection of the British Museum, London, and in 2007 her work was exhibited in Los Angeles and New York in the ground-breaking exhibition WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution, a global survey of feminist art. Newmarch, who was represented by nine works, was the only Australian artist included. In 2021 Newmarch’s work was celebrated in KNOW MY NAME: Australian Women Artists from 1900 to now at the National Gallery of Australia.

A distinguished print-maker, photographer, painter and sculptor, in 1989 Newmarch received an Order of Australia Medal for her significant contributions to art and culture in this country.

Julie Robinson, Senior Curator, Prints, Drawings & Photographs (2024)

Ann Newmarch co-founded the Progressive Art Movement (PAM) in 1974, which provided a platform for artists, writers, filmmakers and poets to speak out their political and social concerns. Screenprint was one of the most potent and accessible methods for PAM to create works for exhibition, distribution, and fund-raising. In addition to posters, Newmarch created screenprinted postcards, stickers and in some instances t-shirts for political purposes. This t-shirt was created as part of the protest against the Otto Hajek commission for the Adelaide Festival Plaza.