Myra Hilgendorf OAM founded Arts Project Australia in 1974 with the insistence that artists with an intellectual disability have their work presented in a professional manner and that artists were accorded the same dignity and respect as their non-disabled peers.
Myra’s own experience of more than 20 years caring for her daughter Johanna, an artist with an intellectual disability, led her to pursue quality opportunities and resources for others. She and her colleagues took a major step in bringing the work to the attention of the art world and the general public.