Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation (SCAF) was established in April 2008 as a not-for-profit organisation to champion research, education and exhibitions of significant and innovative contemporary art from Australia, the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
The two-decades long experience of developing Sherman Galleries as a respected commercial and educational enterprise within the international art world underpins the Foundation at both a conceptual and practical level.
SCAF works closely with artists in commissioning new work and developing exhibitions that energise and respond to the gallery’s four-part complex comprising a large exhibition area, mini ‘out-site’ space, versatile theatre annexe and a Zen garden.
The multipurpose physical site and available cutting-edge technology enable the presentation of film and video to museum standards, immersive installations, architectural interventions and site-specific sculptures.
Partnerships with public art institutions at a regional, state and national level, for example the Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane and the National Art School, Sydney – facilitate the development of larger scale projects and incorporate concurrent or touring exhibitions, co-publications, discrete projects and off-site events.
Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Land throughout Australia and pays respect to the Elders, past and present, of all Australia’s Indigenous peoples.
Dr Gene Sherman AM
Chairman, Executive Director
Dr Gene Sherman AM (PhD, University of Sydney, 1981) is Chairman and Executive Director of Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, a philanthropic organisation dedicated to the public exhibition of significant contemporary art from Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East. From 1986–2007 she was Director and Proprietor of Sherman Galleries, organising up to 22 exhibitions annually with a focus on artists from Australia and the Asia-Pacific. She is currently Adjunct Professor, College of Fine Arts (COFA), Deputy Chair of the National Portrait Gallery Board and a member of the Advisory Board of Art & Australia magazine. Former Board appointments include the Bundanon Trust (1995–2002), the Powerhouse Museum (1994–2001) and Deputy Chair of the Power Institute Council at The University of Sydney (1996–2006). She is a member of the Tate Asia-Pacific Acquisitions Committee and the International Association of Art Critics and works as an Asialink Asia Literacy Ambassador, a role that involves inspiring young people to become Asia literate and thus expand their career and life opportunities. The Foundation is a member of CIMAM, the International Committee of ICOM for Museums and Collections of Modern Art. In 2012, it supported Dinh Q. Lê’s project, Sketches of Life from the War Zone, 2011–12, commissioned and produced by dOCUMENTA (13).
Dr Sherman regularly lectures to a wide range of institutions on topics such as gallery management, the art of collecting, philanthropy, private foundations, Australian and Asian contemporary artists, and contemporary Japanese fashion. Dr Sherman was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government (2003) and a Doctorate of Letters honoris causa by The University of Sydney (2008). She received the Member of the Order of Australia in 2010 for her cultural philanthropy and her support of emerging and established artists.
Dolla S. Merrillees
Associate Director
Dolla S. Merrillees is the Associate Director, Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation. Previously she worked as Director – Visual Arts, Museums and Galleries NSW, and as Exhibition Manager for the 2000 and 2002 Biennales of Sydney. As Assistant Curator, Decorative Arts and Design at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, and Curator of Contemporary Craft at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart she contributed to projects such as 4 + 1:5 Contemporary Australian Designs (1999), and Alvar Aalto: Points of Contact (1996). She has written extensively for print and online media.
Michael Moran
Manager – Projects and Installations
Aaron de Souza
Manager – The Gene & Brian Sherman Collection
Laura Brandon (on leave)
Executive Assistant to Gene Sherman
Sophie Holvast
Communications and Events Coordinator
Danielle Devery
Exhibitions and Projects Assistant
Hannah Brunskill
Acting Executive Assistant to Gene Sherman
Advisory Board
Andrew Cameron, Doug Hall AM, John Kaldor AM,
Akira Nakayama, Tomoko Nakayama, Dr Claire Roberts,
Michael Whitworth, Sam Meers
Michael Young
Communications Adviser