News
Winifred West Schools has today issued the following press release highlighting the significance of the endorsement by the Board of Governors and the Company of the SRC’s recommendations to secure a more independent and vibrant Sturt Gallery and Studios. The Sturt Review Committee would again like to express our deep appreciation to all those who provided input, submissions and advocacy to us in the course of our Review. We now look forward to participating in the Implementation Committee which will enable the launch and opening of the new Sturt.
This update was sent to Winifred West Schools' stakeholders on Tuesday, October 22. At an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), on Saturday 19 October, the Company of Winifred West Schools Ltd voted overwhelmingly to endorse the recommendation made by the Sturt Review Committee (SRC) for Sturt to become an independent entity that will be self-governing and self-managed but still be part of Winifred West Schools Ltd (WWS).
The members of the Sturt Review Committee mourn the loss of our esteemed and cherished colleague, Liz Williamson, who died suddenly last Saturday, August 17. Liz was an outstanding professional textile artist of national and international renown. She was a highly respected teacher, academic and arts leader. We were privileged to work very closely with Liz over the last five months on the Sturt Review. She worked incredibly hard on her section of the report and was a great colleague throughout this intense period. Included here is a link to a wonderful testimonial to Liz issued by the Australian Design Centre - https://australiandesigncentre.com/latestnews/liz-williamson-1949-2024 We hope the new vision of a future STURT GALLERY and STUDIOS can be a part of her legacy. VALE our friend and colleague, LIZ WILLIAMSON.
Thank you for your interest in the Sturt Review Committee's work. We have appreciated the enormous thought and effort that many of you have made in making submissions to the Review. We have received over 300 submissions to the Review with the vast, vast majority highly supportive of Sturt’s role and many with extremely engaging ideas about its future. We would confirm that submissions to the Review are confidential to the Review Committee. Our hard-working panel of Liz Williamson, Brian Parkes, Peter Roach and Sally Gordon have interviewed over 60 people as well as a large number of individual conversations and consultations. We are now working on an Interim Executive Summary to be presented to the Board of Governors of Winifred West Schools in early July with some options for the way forward. That discussion will enable a preferred pathway to be explored in more detailed form such as a Business Plan and transition process. Stage Two of the Report should then be completed by late August. We, of course, will keep the details of these options confidential. The most important issue is the future viability of Sturt. This future goal must be paramount despite what we acknowledge is a frustrating process for many. While the Review Panel is well informed about the history, including recent events at Sturt, it is important we focus on our goal - a positive future for Sturt and a positive outcome for all key stakeholders. Thank you again for your passion and interest in this important Australian institution.
Thank you for your interest in the Sturt Review. On this website you will find the Brief for our review and details of our Sturt Review Panel members. I am thrilled that we've been able to assemble a committed group of people with such a range of skills relevant to the future of Sturt Gallery and Studios. We will post updates on our research and deliberations as well as notice of any public fora which we may conduct as we move towards clear, future options. Currently, all panel members are reading and reflecting on the huge number of emails and submissions we have received, and continue to receive. We're also conducting individual discussions as well as meeting as a panel with key stakeholders. Our panel members are scattered across Australia so coming together in person needs careful planning. We also meet more regularly over Zoom. All senior managers of both Winifred West Schools and Sturt are being interviewed as well as other key players. On a personal note, I feel very honoured that the Board of Governors has asked me to Chair this important review. My background as many of you know is in arts management and leadership, education and philanthropy. I have been aware of and have interacted with Sturt for more than twenty years and I seek to bring both my knowledge and commitment to Sturt’s past and future to this role. We welcome your insights and questions which should be directed to srcfeedback@sturt.nsw.edu.au or else you can leave a comment on the website. With kind regards
