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Chief Judge
Jason Smith
Director
Art Gallery of South Australia
Jason Smith has more than 25 years’ experience in visual arts curation and leadership, and a genuine passion for collections, exhibitions and programming.
As the outgoing Director of Geelong Gallery, Smith was formally Curatorial Manager of Australian Art at Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art.
He was also the Director and CEO of Heide Museum of Modern Art from 2008 to 2014, the Director of Monash Gallery of Art from 2007 to 2008 and held the position of Curator Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Victoria from 1997 to 2007.
His appointment comes at an exciting time for AGSA, following recent record-breaking exhibitions, an internationally regarded collection of historic, Australian and contemporary art and a focus on major artistic programs that celebrate living artists – Tarnanthi, Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art and the Ramsay Art Prize.
Finalist Judges - Main Competition
Francoise Lane
Former Artistic Director
Cairns Indigenous Art Fair
Francoise Lane is a descendant of the Meriam and Kaurareg peoples of Zenadth Kes, residing on Yindiji Country in Far North Queensland. Her creative practice blends art and design, grounded in her family’s cultural values of respecting land, sea, kin, and community.
With a background in interior design, Lane’s multidisciplinary work spans fine art, sculptural furniture, textile design, and curation. A passionate advocate for community arts, she has collaborated with Indigenous organisations and artists. Lane served as Artistic Director for the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (2022–2024) and received the 2022 HIAP Helsinki Residency from the Australia Council for the Arts.
Christine Clark
Head of Curatorial and Collections
Museum of Brisbane
Christine has worked in curatorial and management roles at various institutions, including National Portrait Gallery, Australian National University and Queensland Art Gallery prior to her appointment at Museum of Brisbane.
While at the National Portrait Gallery she was part of the collaborative team that implemented the National Photographic Portrait Prize, Digital Portrait Award and the Darling Portrait Prize. Christine has curated numerous projects emphasising cross-cultural intersections and retelling national and shared histories, including those that have toured nationally.
Finalist Judges - Next Gen
Jenna Baldock
Collection Manager and Curator
Gadens Brisbane
Jenna Baldock is a Queensland based curator, project manager, and grant writer with a decade experience working for a range of art organisations. She takes pride in supporting artists as a project manager—acting in an auxiliary role which allows them to significantly upscale their work and gain funding. Baldock is the current Collection Manager and Curator for Gadens Brisbane where she manages artwork installation, acquisition, and movement as well as facilitating public programs with artists for Gadens staff and clients. Since 2019 she has been the Studio manager for Yawuru artist Robert Andrew and works independently as a grants writer, project coordinator, and curator.
Baldock has worked as Project Manager for Milani Gallery, Gallery Manager for Milani Gallery, Development and Touring Manager at the Institute of Modern Art (IMA), Curator and Gallery Manager at Spiro Grace Art Rooms (SGAR), Sessional Academic at Queensland University of Technology, and was on the board at Outerspace ARI. Baldock curated Lu Forsberg’s Transparency and other worries, at the IMA (2018) and co-curated IMA’s Green screen program 2017-19.
Elisabeth Findlay
Professor of Art Theory
Queensland College of Art and Design
Elisabeth Findlay is a Professor of Art Theory at Queensland College of Art and Design at Griffith University and a former Director of the College. She works closely with undergraduate and postgraduate art students to support their emerging practices. She is passionate about portraiture and her teaching and research focuses on Australian portraiture and issues of identity and belonging.
Experimental Portraiture Judge
Daniel Clifford
Artistic Associate – Visual Arts
Metro Arts
In his role at Metro Arts as Artistic Associate – Visual Arts, Daniel Clifford is dedicated to fostering impactful collaborations and commissioning opportunities between artists, commercial industry, and the broader community.
As a former Principal of Art + Design at UAP, combined with over 2 decades of experience, Daniel has played a key role in conceptualising major art and design projects – collaborating with artists such as Reko Rennie, Nike Savvas, Florentin Hofman, Kehinde Wiley – and is immensely proud to have contributed to culturally potent artworks such as “First Contact” by Laurel Nannup, “The Eyes of the Land and the Sea by Alison Page and Nik Lachajczak and works Sister Charm and Sister Crossing by Janet Fieldhouse.
With a commitment to prioritising the utmost quality in visual arts commissions and installations, Daniel is devoted to nurturing critical awareness and motivating artists to challenge and enhance their creative practices in a collaborative, engaging and playful manner.
