Read about our Arts Prize Judge

Barbara’s first love has always been visual arts but she loves history too and feels extraordinarily lucky to have worked in jobs that combine these two areas.

Before she retired, Barbara’s last position was as a curator at Meroogal, a place which hosts the biennial Meroogal Women’s Arts prize. Barbara toured the exhibition to many regional centres from Bega
to Gilgandra. All NSW women are eligible to enter the competition.

Before that, Barbara was the inaugural manager, teacher and lecturer at the Brett Whiteley Studio, which is owned by the NSW Government & managed by the Art Gallery of NSW.

Barbara has taught visual arts in high schools and has been an HSC Visual Arts marker. In one memorable year the Department of Education sent visual arts teachers all over the state to
mark major works on site in schools, rather than have the works packed up and delivered to the Sydney Showground where they were usually marked. Barbara chose to go on the
marking route from Broken Hill, down to the Murray River, working in teams, in schools along the river, on to Hay and then Albury.

Along the line Barbara gained an internship in Poland, studying ceramics and photography.

While working as an education officer at the S H Ervin Gallery, Milsons Point, Barbara met Beagle Press art book publisher, curator & former deputy of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Lou Klepac. Thirty three years ago, Lou established a unique social group of older artists called The Pens & Pencils, for the sole purpose of connecting artists whom he thought needed to meet each other and take a break from their lonely studios. Lou is a great connector & he created a wonderful opportunity for Barbara to photograph three women artists who met once a month to draw the nude. They were Nora Heysen, Judy Cassab and Margaret Woodward. Some of these photographs are in the National Library of Australia and Barbara regards this as her finest achievement.

Barbara Konkolowicz

2000-2011 Curator, ‘Meroogal’ a house museum in Nowra, managed by Museums of History & NSW Manager Meroogal Women’s Arts Prize1994-2000 Co-ordinator, Brett Whiteley Studio
1993-1994 Teacher lecturer Art Gallery of New South Wales
1991-1992 Education Officer S H Ervin Gallery
1979-1990 Secondary school Visual Arts Teacher, HSC Visual Arts marker
1977-78 Internship at the Higher School of Fine Arts, Wroclaw, Poland
1972 Secondary school teacher English & History