The TarraWarra Museum of Art is mourning the death of inaugural director Dr Maudie Palmer AO, who died on 3 December 2025.
Dr Palmer was also known for her support and work with the Ian Potter Museum of Art, Birrarung Valley Walk, Heide Museum of Modern Art, InPlace; McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park as well as for being a Vice-Chancellor’s Professorial Fellow at Monash University.
Current director of TarraWarra Museum of Art Dr Victoria Lynn said Maudie was both a friend and mentor to her.
“She was driven, passionate and committed, devoting much of her time and energy to supporting artists, often conceiving original and imaginative approaches to raising the profile of art and the environment,” she said.
“Maudie was an exceptional writer about art, capturing both the integrity and poetry of contemporary creativity, she was determined to ensure that the legacy of Eva and Marc Besen would be honoured and the Board and team at TarraWarra are proud to continue her work as inaugural Director of the Museum.
“Maudie leaves behind a legacy of courage, generosity and transformative impact. Her zeal and fortitude live on within us. Her spirit will continue to guide us. We send our deepest sympathy to Maudie’s daughters Greta and Alice and family.”
In a statement, the TarraWarra Museum of Art described Dr Palmer as a ‘truly extraordinary figure in the Australian art world’ and a ‘trailblazer” who influenced the Australian art world from the 1970s onward. Passionate about the enviornment and the stories of First Nations people, Dr Palmer forged a strong relationship with Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin AO, Senior Wurundjeri Elder, to ensure that Indigenous stories were heard and celebrated.
At Monash University, Dr Palmer initiated the University’s cross-faculty Birrarung Project, weaving together Indigenous knowledge, post-settlement histories, art, architecture, environment and sustainability.
“Maudie’s energy, intellect and kindness touched countless people: artists, curators, designers, students, architects, writers, community leaders and friends,” Professor Mel Dodd, Dean of Monash Art, Design and Architecture said.
“She saw the vital role of art in shaping a more thoughtful and connected society. Her impact will continue to be felt across the sector and within the many lives she touched.”
Through the Birrarung Project, and through collaborations with Monash Art Projects, she produced Birrarung: Art Water Refuge Tumbleweed and the film Birrarung, a culture-nature visual poem that captured her lifelong relationship with the river and Country.
The university awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in 2021, ‘reflecting a career defined by vision, generosity and the highest standards of cultural leadership’.
In her 2021 Graduation Address as the Vice Chancellor’s Fellow at Monash University, Maudie highlighted the three most significant aspects of her career: embracing change, bringing together artists with communities, and the urgent need to look after our land, using creativity and passion to bring it back from the brink of extinction.
In this address, Dr Palmer said we live, like everyone else, in uncertain times.
“With that uncertainty comes a conservativism driven by simple economics. The humanities, art and design among them, don’t fare well in that equation because the riches they bestow don’t always translate into numbers that can be counted,” she said.
“But the riches of the arts means so much more than numbers. Their meaning comes through what we see, what we touch, and what we hear.
“The arts can change ordinary lives. Creativity can influence every aspect of what needs to be done, whether that creativity comes through art practice, scholarship, design, architecture, or arts administration and management.”
Dr Palmer had a sadly unrealised dream to see 1000 indigenous trees to be planted on the Birrarung in collaboration with Wurundjeri artists and curators as a Cultural Pathway.
Dr Palmer was also a champion fundraiser for the Venice Biennale in 2005, commissioned by Creative Australia (then the Australia Council for the Arts). Her success in fundraising in 2005 led to Venice Biennale Commissioner John Kaldor inviting her to be on the Commissioners Council for Venice Biennale 2007.
Creative Australia Head of Visual Arts Michelle Newton said Maudie’s ethos was deeply rooted in advocacy for artists, First Nations voices, and for the environment.
“She believed artmaking was central to civic life and worked tirelessly to ensure artists had the space and resources to shape our cultural future,” she said.
“She was a guiding force who helped shape Australia’s contemporary arts landscape. As a leader for women in the arts, she broke barriers and inspired generations of curators, directors, and cultural thinkers to dream bigger.”
