ADELAIDE.- The Art Gallery of South Australia today announces the appointment of two new Board members, Cara Kirkwood and Jason Karas, both long-time supporters of the Gallery.

In Cara’s appointment, AGSA welcomes its first Aboriginal person to join its Board in the Gallery’s history. A national advocate and influencer for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, art and culture, Kirkwood is a Mandandanji, Bidjara and Mithaka woman who has worked in important leadership roles around the country as an expert in Indigenous culture and policy.

Currently a member of AGSA’s Tarnanthi Advisory Committee, Kirkwood has previously delivered highly successful events including working as a Project Manager for Tarnanthi in 2017. Her appointment to the Board expands her role to provide Aboriginal leadership to AGSA more broadly.

Kirkwood says, ‘I’m honoured by this historic appointment and the opportunity to work with the Board and management of the Art Gallery of South Australia. This appointment is largely the result of the transformative work that the Tarnanthi Festival has generated. It’s essential to recognise that this festival does things differently. Tarnanthi has illuminated the optimistic pulse through the lens of ecological leadership and this is what I look forward to contributing to the AGSA Board.’

The Gallery also announces the appointment of Jason Karas, co-founder of law firm Lipman Karas, a long-term Gallery supporter through sponsorship of the recent national touring exhibition, Quilty, and of the Ramsay Art Prize People’s Choice Award. An active member of AGSA’s Contemporary Collectors group, Karas will now bring his strategic and legal expertise to AGSA’s Board.

Karas says, ‘As a member of the Board of AGSA, I look forward to advancing engagement with visual arts and culture for all members of our community and I believe art and culture are central to the wellbeing and prosperity of our society. AGSA is a progressive and inclusive institution and I am deeply committed to assisting with the next phase of its evolution.’

Chair of AGSA Board Tracey Whiting AM says, ‘We welcome Cara Kirkwood and Jason Karas to the Gallery Board as highly respected experts in their fields of work. We’re thrilled to appoint Cara Kirkwood as the first Aboriginal person to our Board in the Gallery’s history and welcome Cara’s leadership in Aboriginal art and culture as we continue to present and celebrate the depth and breadth of First Nation’s art.’

‘An ongoing and important supporter of the Gallery, Jason Karas brings leadership in the legal space and commitment to the Gallery through his deep appreciation for all of the programs and exhibitions at AGSA,’ Whiting concludes.

Cara Kirkwood and Jason Karas join a highly skilled and strategic team on AGSA’s Board that includes Tracey Whiting AM as Chair, and Jacqui McGill AO, Joshua Fanning, Susan Armitage, John Phillips and Jane Yuile as Non-Executive Directors.