Commencing in 2023, the Judy Wheeler Commission is a major series of annual commissions made possible by a historic philanthropic gift from the Simpson family.
The Judy Wheeler Commission was established to honour the legacy of Judy Wheeler, an enduring lover and supporter of the arts. Established by Judy Wheeler’s husband Jamie and children Tom and Genevieve Simpson, the Commission supports artists from across Australia to create bold new work that responds to PICA’s architecture and history as one of Perth’s first schools and now a contemporary art space.
Selected from an annual open call, artists are encouraged to match PICA’s spirit of risk and experimentation in their proposals, addressing spaces that PICA’s visitors move through when visiting the building, including its entrance lobby, foyer, stairwells and balcony mezzanine. Each commission includes an artist fee of $10,000 and is installed for up to a one-year period.
About Judy Wheeler
Judy Wheeler was born in 1954 and grew up in Gosford, New South Wales. She spent a year at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, obtained a teaching diploma at Sydney Teachers College and a Bachelor of Arts from Flinders University. She later worked as a town councillor and bookshop owner. Throughout her life she was an enduring lover and supporter of the arts. For several years she funded Western Australia’s T.A.G. Hungerford literary award, and through her patronage of the visual arts she amassed a substantial collection of Australian prints and paintings. She passed away in 2010 after a long illness.
How to Apply
The Commission is open annually to all Australian-based artists, at any stage of their career and whose mediums might include, but not be limited to, painting, sculpture, sound and video.
A general call for applications is held annually. The next call for applications will open in March 2025.
Commissions in the Series
View the commissions and learn more about the artists below.
