For some time, the Committee of the Glebe Art Society had been thinking about how to provide a lasting legacy for one of the key founders of the Glebe Art Show, local artist, Robin Lawrence.

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Before her association with the Glebe Art Show, Robin’s credentials were both very local and international. She studied at East Sydney Technical college and the National Art School before teaching at SCEGGS Darlinghurst. During this time her artistic practice took shape. She was drawn to painting and particularly portraiture. One of her portraits was hung, and she was a runner-up in the Archibald prize in 2000.

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Robin’s artistic interests took her to England, Italy, New Zealand and in 1965 to New York for 21 years. Here Robin taught and painted through periods of fierce expressionism coming finally to her enduring fascination with domestic objects, shifting light and the transience of expression in her portraiture.

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From 1986 Robin Lawrence lived in Glebe in a house on the Toxteth Estate that gave her studio space to work. Fortunately, it also allowed her to respond to a community need. Robin and fellow artist Jamie Barker had been thinking about the possibility of a local art show for some time, and in 1996 the opportunity and motivation arrived when funds were needed to help with the re-establishment of a local public library in Glebe. The aim of the first Art Show was to raise funds to support the Library on its present site. The Show was a great success, and Robin was encouraged to come back and do it all again, continuing for 15 years before handing over leadership.

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It has now been more than 25 years and thanks to Robin’s early enthusiasm and drive, the Glebe Art Show showcases around 200 local artists each year. In 2010 Robin was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), for service to the arts through the establishment of the Glebe Art Prize and as an artist.

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To recognise Robin’s significance as a local artist and her contribution to the Glebe Art Show, the Committee in 2025 has renamed the Open Art Prize as the Robin Lawrence Open Art Prize.