Professor Ted Snell AM CitWA began teaching part-time at WAIT (now Curtin University of Technology) where he was Professor of Contemporary Art and Dean of Art, John Curtin Gallery. In 2009, he became director of the Cultural Precinct at the University of Western Australia.
For over two decades, Prof Snell had contributed to the national arts agenda through his role as chair of the Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools, chair of Artbank, chair of the Asialink Visual Arts Advisory Committee, chair of the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council, and as a board member of the National Association for the Visual Arts.
He was a commentator on the arts for ABC radio and television, an art reviewer for The Australian, and a regular contributor to local and national journals. Prof Snell had published several books and curated numerous exhibitions, many of which document the visual culture of Western Australia.
He was also a visual artist and since 1968, he had shown his work in solo exhibitions across Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane. His work is represented in many public and private collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of Western Australia and Artbank.
In 2008, Prof Snell was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the visual arts as an academic, artist, commentator and administrator, to professional organisations, and as a mentor of young artists.
Prof Snell passed away in September 2023.
