News from Ashley
Ashley is a former trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres medal for her unwavering support of the French arts and culture in Australia.
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13 January 2023 The Ashley Dawson-Damer Children’s Art Library – the first of its kind in Australia – is now open at the Art Gallery, providing a relaxing place of wonder for children and their families during holidays and beyond. Learn more here.
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Ashley Dawson-Damer is a leading philanthropist with a deep appreciation for performing and visual arts. She is a former trustee of the Art Gallery of NSW and has served as director of Opera Australia Capital Fund since 2014. Over the last thirty years, Ashley has been a member of the board of the Festival of Sydney, the National Art School, the National Gallery of Australia Council and Foundation, the National Institute of Dramatic Art, and more.
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Friday, 14 July 2023 Join the honourable Ashley Dawson-Damer and celebrate Bastille Day as she delves into the fascinating life of Marie Antoinette. Hear about the young queen whose name became synonymous with destruction and scandal in 18th-century France. Learn more here.
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While women on boards are now relatively common, when Dawson-Damer started down that path, it wasn't the norm…
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Of all the boards to which she has been appointed, Dawson-Damer says the AGNSW and NGA were the most challenging. In both instances, she says there had been objections to her appointment.
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Ashley Dawson-Damer was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres medal by H.E Ambassador Christophe Penot for her unwavering support of the French Arts and Culture in Australia.
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"Mrs. Ashley Dawson-Damer is often seen on social pages and described as a "celebrated arts patron, staunch Liberal." —The Sydney Morning Herald
“This is Ashley Dawson-Damer’s motivation for her membership of many of the country’s leading arts boards (NIDA, NGA, Opera Australia, the Art Gallery of NSW, the Festival of Sydney) – the desire to bring justice for those without a voice, to make the arts and all their joys and beauties available to everyone in Australia.”
— The Canberra Times
“Years before she became one of our most prominent arts patrons, Ashley Dawson-Damer suffered a raft of personal tragedies that would test her sense of self.”
- The Sydney Morning Herald
“The author of three books, Ashley Dawson-Damer has a story that resonates with women who are empowered by her ability to find the positive in the everyday and to keep moving through life’s challenges.”
—The Sydney Morning Herald
“The incomparable heartache of multiple miscarriages, the challenges of single motherhood, her surprise entry into modelling and the joy of a second chance at love. And when her world is unexpectedly torn apart, Ashley pushes through her grief to find solace in the arts.”
—Andrew Hornery, senior journalist and columnist for
The Sydney Morning Herald
“She is a minefield of experience and insight. If she combines those strengths with energy and wit, she is unstoppable.”
Media Highlights
The Ashley Dawson-Damer Children’s Art Library – the first of its kind in Australia – is now open at the Art Gallery, providing a relaxing place of wonder for children and their families during holidays and beyond. Learn more.
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13 January 2023 The Ashley Dawson-Damer Children’s Art Library – the first of its kind in Australia – is now open at the Art Gallery, providing a relaxing place of wonder for children and their families during holidays and beyond. Learn more here.
-
Friday, 14 July 2023 Join the honourable Ashley Dawson-Damer and celebrate Bastille Day as she delves into the fascinating life of Marie Antoinette. Hear about the young queen whose name became synonymous with destruction and scandal in 18th-century France. Learn more here.
On the Podcast with The National Gallery, London
The Hon. Ashley Dawson-Damer
44 min 32 sec | 2020
Australian philanthropist and author Ashley Dawson-Damer talks to Angeliki Alexandri about her recently published memoir, her involvement in the Australian arts scene, and her passion for history: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/podcast/podcasts/patrons-portraits/patrons-podcast-episode-7
A Particular Story
Ashley shows how women can be anything they want to be – if they use what they know and define what they want.
Edited extract from A Particular Woman (Simon & Schuster) on sale now. This article appears in Sunday Life magazine within the Sun-Herald and the Sunday Age on sale July 12.