Joyce McGrath OAM (1925-2025)
Joyce McGrath passed away peacefully on 13 September 2025, one month short of celebrating her 100thBirthday.
Joyce joined MSWPS in 1990 and became an Honorary Member in 2021.
She studied at RMIT with Harold Freedman and Amalie Colquhoun. When Joyce joined the staff at the State Library, she became one of the earliest professional art librarians in Australia. In 1968 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to tour specialist international art libraries and record interviews with expatriate Australian artists.
Joyce was a philanthropist and advocate for the visual arts and made a significant donation of thirty artworks to the Mildura Arts Centre collection in 2014.
The Joyce McGrath Donation is a rare opportunity to see a selection of paintings by the artists Archibald Douglas Colquhoun, Shirley Bourne, Rex Bramleigh, Amalie Colquhoun, Alan Martin, Ray Hewitt, Ron Crawford, Dorothy Whitehead, Peter Glass, Judith Wills, Percy Leason, Henry Griffiths and Max Meldrum.
Louise Foletta reminisces:
In April I gave a workshop to the Sketchers Group at the Lyceum Club, my thank you gift was a canister of Madura tea with a photo of one of Joyce's Still Life paintings on the front, I was looking seriously at this on Thursday thinking about Joyce and thinking I must tell the committee about it.
I remember enjoying Joyce’s company at MSWPS lunches and meeting up with her at VAS on many occasions.
I have used extracts from More Than Just Gumtrees and Mildura Rural City Council.
Thank you Helen carter for sending information.
Denise Keele-bedford
Joyce McGrath OAM Still Life on Madura Tea