The Committee Members 2009
- Janis Lander – President/Media – 02 93882672
- Kathrin Longhurst – Vice President/Web Master – 0411 144 893
- Judith Stevens – Honorary Secretary
- Nafisa Naomi – PR/Marketing – 0404 036 303
- Constance Farquharson – General Contacts – 02 93564770
- Jules Sevelson – Graphics and Promotional Material
- Alex Kolozsy
- Jeanette Korduba – 0404 484 603
- Robyn Ross
- Judith O’Conal Prinz
- Bob Baird
- Vivien Falk
Portrait Artists Australia is an incorporated, non-profit, national association of professional artists, dedicated to representing and promoting the art of portraiture in Australia and overseas.
PAA members are strongly represented in selections for the annual portrait competitions: The Archibald; The Portia Geach; The Doug Moran; The Shirley Hannan; Perth City Black Swan prize – as well as regional prize exhibitions and other genre shows: landscape, figurative and abstract. Several members are listed on the Historical Memorials Committee Register, eligible for commissions of parliamentary portraits. Several are represented in the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Several have received awards in International shows in the US and Europe.
Since its Launch in October 2002 by patron Andrew Sayers, (Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra), PAA has held fifteen exhibitions - in the award-winning venue, the ArtHouse Hotel, 275 Pitt St, Sydney – and other public venues including the Supreme Court Building Exhibition Space (2006) Parliament House Sydney (2007) Parliament House Canberra (2009).
In May 2005 PAA held our first international exhibition: The Macquarie International Portrait Artists Australia Exhibition was officially opened in Washington D.C. by Mark Pachter, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Washington.
Portrait Artists Australia was the brainchild of artist Nafisa Naomi, who combines her artistic talents with a strong business vision. The executive committee is supported by a hardworking Committee of PAA Members, elected at the Annual General Meeting, and together they have organised the exhibitions and events. The PAA LOGO was designed by Jules Sevelson in 2003. The current website was designed by Kathrin Longhurst in 2008. Judith Stevens has acted as Honorary Secretary since 2004.
The executive team is elected each year by the committee. Nafisa Naomi was President from 2002 until 2005, with Paul Newton as Vice President from 2002-2004 and Robyn Ross as Vice President from 2004-2005. From 2005-2007 Robyn Ross acted as President with Nafisa as VP. In 2008 Nafisa was again President with Janis Lander as Vice President. In 2009 Janis Lander became President with Kathrin Longhurst as VP.
Many of our artists actively support charity events and auctions such as: The Humane Society; Genes for Jeans; Chairs For Charity, Melbourne; The Humpty Dumpty Foundation; The Northcott Society’s Beaux Arts Ball Charity Auction; The Fischer Road Special School; The Children’s Hospital Randwick; The Westmead Children’s Hospital; The Bezalel Foundation, and many other fundraising events.
As well as Andrew Sayers, the other patrons of Portrait Artists Australia are Edmund Capon, (Director of the Art Gallery of NSW) and Paul Delprat (Principal and Director of the Julian Ashton Art School). PAA acknowledges the generous support and sponsorship from Macquarie; Shirley Hannan; The Nelson Meers Foundation and private individuals.