“I have spent my life dedicated to art, and working alongside artists remains both a joy and a privilege.
One of the things I love about judging prizes is that I am likely to be introduced to work, and to artists, that I may not know. This keeps me on my toes, and ensures I remain open to new experiences and possibilities - there is always something to learn. I am excited to see what artists from the region, and beyond, have created for this year’s show.”
Kelly Gellatly, 2026
Kelly Gellatly is an independent curator, writer, arts advocate and editor, to which she brings decades of arts leadership, curatorial, and collection development experience in national, state and university-based art museums. Kelly is passionate about facilitating and encouraging the broadest possible access to the arts, particularly contemporary practice, and to supporting the leadership potential of women in the arts.
Kelly is the former Director of the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne (2013-20), during which time she oversaw the design and construction of Buxton Contemporary on the University’s Southbank campus, and was Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Victoria from 2003 to 2013. She has also held curatorial positions at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra and Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne. She has curated groundbreaking exhibitions of the work of leading Australian and international artists and has an extensive publishing history on contemporary art, Australian modernism and photographic practice.
Kelly is co-founder and co-director of the print publisher Kaleidoscope Editions and co-founder and co-director of Melbourne Art Print Fair. She is also Chair of the Sheila Foundation, a national philanthropic foundation dedicated to supporting Australian women artists, and a board member of Experimenta, Australia’s leading organisation dedicated to commissioning, exhibiting and touring contemporary art driven by ideas and shaped by technology.
