COMMITTEE

Virginia Judge MP Chairperson
Virginia Judge MP
Member for Strathfield
Minister for Fair Trading, Minister for the Arts

Virginia Judge was born in Cooma, in country NSW, and was educated in Canberra and overseas. She holds a Bachelor of Education degree and a number of musical qualifications. She has worked as a teacher in both primary and secondary schools in the ACT and NSW, and has worked as a project officer for a small non-government organisation and volunteered as an overseas teacher for Australian Volunteers Abroad (AVA).

Virginia Judge was elected to Strathfield Municipal Council in 1995, and became Mayor in 2000, serving four terms. In 2003 she was elected to the Legislative Assembly in the seat of Strathfield, and in 2007 was made Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Minister for Education & Training, Industrial Relations, and the Minister Assisting the Minister for Finance. Virginia was appointment as Minister for Fair Trading, Minister for Citizenship, and Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts in September 2008.

Her personal interests include writing poetry, reading, playing piano and guitar and supporting the creative industries, including music, dance, theatre, film, live performance, art and design.

Paul Connor Director
Paul Connor practices as both an architect and plein air artist, for whom the varied experiences of his home state, New South Wales has been the inspiration for a series of exhibitions of plein air paintings at Robin Gibson Gallery, many completed buildings, and most recently, The NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize. He graduated with honours from the Architecture faculty of the University of Sydney, and from the Masters Program, College of Fine Art, University of New South Wales with first class honours; subsequently teaching at both universities. He is represented in collections in several regional galleries, The Margaret Olley Foundation and ArtBank. As a partner of the firm Connor and Solomon Architects in Pyrmont, his buildings have been published widely. He has had his portrait hung in the Archibald Prize twice, once by his father, Kevin and more recently his own self portrait in gouache in the prize's 'Salon des Refuses'. He can often be found painting with his family, from a small boat, in Sydney Harbour.

Anne Ryan Curatorial Advisor
Anne Ryan is Curator of Australian Prints at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where she has organised a number of exhibitions and publications on Australian art, including recent shows on the artists Theo Scharf, Frank Hodgkinson and Carl Plate. She organised a state-wide touring exhibition, Sydney Prints, 45 years of the Sydney Printmakers, for the National Trust SH Ervin Gallery and an exhibition Australian etchings and engravings 1880s-1930s from the gallery’s collection at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2007. She studied at the Universities of Sydney and New South Wales, and was the Sarah and William Holmes Scholar in the Departments of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum in 2001-02.

Dominique Brammah
Dominique Brammah has a Bachelor of Design in Architecture and is currently with Connor and Solomon Architects whilst undertaking her final year of a Masters of Architecture at the University of Sydney. Throughout university she has been involved in numerous art workshops and associated exhibitions developing her understanding and appreciation of all aspects of art theory and practice. She is delighted to be a member of the NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize Committee.

Russell Grove
Russell Grove has been Clerk of the Legislative Assembly since 1990, having entered Parliamentary Service in 1971. As CEO of the Legislative Assembly he is the principle adviser on parliamentary law, practice and procedure to the Speaker, the Hon. Richard Torbay. He was awarded the Public Service Medal (PSM) for services to the NSW Parliament in 2000, and made a Paul Harris Fellow in 1997 for service to the international community particularly in the area of developing countries. Russell has been a member of the Parliament’s Artworks Committee since its inception.

Steven Reynolds
Steven Reynolds is the Usher of the Black Rod in the NSW Legislative Council. Apart from ceremonial duties, the Usher is responsible for the organisation of the monthly exhibitions in the public space of the Parliament known as the Fountain Court, and the annual Parliament of NSW Indigenous Art Prize. Steven has worked for the Parliament for 10 years, primarily in parliamentary committees, and prior to this worked in a number of positions including manager of a community grants program.

Robert Nielsen
Robert Nielsen has an extensive background in property maintenance and project management. Robert leads a professional team providing services to the NSW Parliament building's occupants and the public visitors. He maintains the Parliamentary Antique and Artwork collections. Robert has a very strong focus and commitment to the exhibitions and event experiences within Parliament House.