First awarded in 1965, the Portia Geach Memorial Award was established by Florence Kate Geach in memory of her sister, artist Portia Geach. As per the direction of the will, the Award is annually presented to an Australian female artist for the best portrait painted from life of a man or woman distinguished in art, letters or the sciences. Geach was widely acclaimed as a leading artist and was a frequent commentator in the national media – making her an iconic figure in the Australian arts community. The $30,000 non-acquisitive Portia Geach Memorial Award is given by Perpetual as trustee, to the entry with the highest artistic merit. The winner of the 2023 Portia Geach Memorial Award is Kate Stevens for her painting The Whistleblower, a portrait of David McBride. MEDIA ‘Afghan Files’ whistleblower portrait wins $30,000 prize by Helen Pitt, The Sydney Morning Herald 3 November 2023 PUBLIC PROGRAM Sunday 26 November at 3pm Join exhibiting artists Ashlee Bucholtz, Gina Bruce and India Mark for a discussion on contemporary portraiture. Sunday 3 December at 3pm Join exhibiting artists Lucy Migliorino, Kirthana Selvaraj and 2023 Portia Geach Memorial Award winner Kate Stevens as they share their approaches to portraiture. Sunday 17 December at 3pm On the final day of the exhibition join Margaret Ackland, Rosy Lloyd and Alison Mackay as they discuss their works in the exhibition. Image courtesy the artist and S.H Ervin Gallery