ABOUT JANE RAFFAN

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Valuation Credentials

Jane Raffan is a respected arts industry professional, with a reputation for integrity and discretion. She is an accredited valuer for the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program, the pre-eminent status for valuers nationwide. Jane is a member (and former Executive Committee member 2009-2019) of the Art Consulting Association of Australia, which is active across a range of issues affecting the arts, and is a board director (former Vice President 2016-2023) of the Auctioneers & Valuers Association of Australia, the peak body for valuers nationwide.

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Broad Art Industry Experience

Jane’s in-depth market knowledge stems from broad experience working in commercial, public sector and academic arts arenas for over twenty-five years. She has curated, published and acted as consultant to independent, public institution and government projects with a focus on Aboriginal art, Australian art and photography, and has held high level managerial and specialist roles in the auction industry.

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Collection Management

Jane graduated from the University of Sydney with a first class honours degree in Fine Arts, which was followed by employment at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in collection management, during which time she undertook audits and coordinated inventories, worked on exhibitions, authored loans policy, introduced new technologies and programs, and managed operational and procedural logistics.  These hands-on skills have been employed in her consultancy working with private collections, and projects for government agencies and public institutions.

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Indigenous Issues and Aboriginal Art

Jane has been actively engaged with Indigenous issues in both personal and professional spheres for over twenty-five years, and has been a practising industry-based specialist in Aboriginal Art for over fifteen.

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Jane formed her personal interest and expertise in Aboriginal art while documenting and researching the Art Gallery of NSW collections prior to the appointment of a permanent curator.

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In 1996 Jane curated an exhibition of paintings and photography on Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, which she negotiated with NSW Parliament House. In 2005 she co-hosted the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ fundraising Aboriginal Art auction to assist Indigenous causes on behalf of the Charles Perkins Children’s Trust, raising close to one million dollars. Jane continues to support Indigenous philanthropy through involvement with the Aboriginal Benefits Foundation’s charity auctions.

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Jane completed post-graduate studies in law in 2009, concentrating on ethical dealing in art and cultural heritage. In 2010 she was interviewed by the national broadcaster ABC Radio on Indigenous rights, and presented a paper on the influence of Aboriginal art and the Rights Agenda at a symposium on Art & Law, organised in conjunction with the Otago University, New Zealand.

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ArtSpeak and Industry Profile

From 2011 through 2018, Jane produced and presented her own show for Eastside Radio's Arts Monday. Guest highlights include: renowned journalist Jeff McMullen and Walkley Award winning photographer, Andrew Quilty; cultural historian Warren Fahey, AM; art critic Andrew Frost and curators John Mundine, Judy Annear (AGNSW), Jude Philp (Macleay Museum), Nerida Campbell (Sydney Living Museums), Michael Turner (Nicholson Museum); artists Elvis Richardson, Tim Johnson, Tony Albert, TextaQueen; museum directors Dr Lee-Anne Hall (Penrith Regional Gallery), John Cheeseman (Manly Regional Gallery); editor of Art Monthly and Photofile magazines, Michael Fitzgerald; author and lawyer Professor Larissa Behrendt; and Ace Bourke, curator, collector and chronicler of Christian the Lion.

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In 2012 Jane was the sole author of Power + Colour, the second book on the prestigious Corrigan Collection of Aboriginal art. In addition to articles on Indigenous art and culture, Jane also writes Australian art market commentary and opinion pieces, presents lectures, produces content for commercial art-related events, acts an art judge, and is regularly called upon by journalists for opinion and commentary on industry matters.

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In 2013 she was profiled by the industry portal Arts Hub for their “So you want to be a curator” section.