Erica McGilchrist

McGilchrist was born in Mt Gambier, South Australia and took classes and danced with Les Ballets Contemporains in Adelaide and later with the Modern Dance Company in Melbourne. Paralleling this interest were the Saturday art classes which she began at the age of ten and continued for ten years at the SA School of Arts and Crafts. In 1946 she graduated from Adelaide Teachers College, but within two years had given up teaching to go to Melbourne to dance. [4]

Soon art won out over dance and she held her first of many exhibitions in 1951. She held the first art therapy sessions at Kew Mental Hospital in the early 1950s. She also painted sets and costumes for the Ballet Guild. She attended part-time art classes at RMIT1952 - 55. In 1960-61 McGilchrist pursued postgraduate work in Munich at the Akademie der Bildenden Kunste due to a grant from AGNSW Dyason Bequest. She then held exhibitions in Munich and London.[4]

With the advent of second wave feminism in the mid seventies Erica was at the forefront of promoting and recording women's art. She was a co-founder of Women's Art Register and served as convenor from 1978-89.

Erica worked across various media including works on paper, embroidery and paintings.[1]

McGilchrist works can be seen in the following collections;

National Gallery of Victoria https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/artist/1705/

Art Gallery of New South Wales https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/?artist_id=mcgilchrist-erica

Heide Museum of Modern Art https://www.heide.com.au/exhibitions/erica-mcgilchrist-selected-works-1951%E2%80%931995

Her work has often received recognition:[4]

• 1950s: shared the Adelaide Advertiser prize for Contemporary Art.
• 1958: awarded the Helena Rubinstein Mural Prize; her mural was installed at the Women’s University College in Melbourne.
• 1960s chosen for a postage stamp design
• 1969: commissioned by the Victorian Ministry of the Arts to decorate a tram.
• 1970: 30-minute film by ABC about retrospective of her work at University of Western Australia
• 1992: received the Medal of the Order of Australia. for her contributions to women's art[3]

Erica held more than 40 solo exhibitions and participated in many group exhibitions across Australia.[4]

1995: She was the curator of 'Bias Binding': Women's Art Register exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria

1995: major retrospective at Caulfield Arts Complex

2014: retrospective at Heide Museum of Modern Art.[4]