Director

Director of the Australian Tapestry Workshop in Melbourne since 2009, Antonia Syme AM has many years of experience in the arts and cultural sector as a director, consultant, conservator and curator.

Antonia’s previous roles include director of Artbank, the largest buyer of contemporary Australian art in the country, and co-director of Syme Dodson Gallery in Sydney, which specialised in promoting young and emerging contemporary artists from around Australia.

Antonia has also worked at the Powerhouse Museum, the Australian National Maritime Museum and the College of Fine Arts at the University of New South Wales. She is currently on the board of the Abbotsford Convent Foundation Board, has served on the boards of Craft Australia and the Sydney College of the Arts and been a member of numerous cultural committees including the NSW National Trust’s Museums and Collections Committee, the Federal Government’s Taxation Incentives for the Arts Committee, the Heritage Council (NSW) Maritime Archaeological Advisory Panel and the Camden Park Preservation Committee. Antonia is also a former member of the Freedman Foundation Travelling Art Scholarships judging panel and has judged many art prizes across Australia.

In 2019 Antonia was the Copland Foundation Nina Stanton Attingham Scholar, which enabled her to participate in the Royal Collection Studies tour. In 2020, Antonia was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to visual arts administration and maritime archaeology. In July she was acknowledged by the Australian Institute of Architecture’s International Chapter Council through the award of the prestigious William J Mitchell Prize for her work promoting and curating the internationally renowned ATW Tapestry Design Prize for Architects (TDPA).

Special responsibilities
Ms Syme is the sole Executive Director, Company Secretary, and is a member of the Finance and Audit Committee and the Business Development & Marketing Committee.

Tenure
Appointed to the Board 22 October 2009. Re-appointed at AGM on 28 April 2016 for a three year term.