Progressive Art Movement

In 1974 South Australian artist Ann Newmarch, along with philosopher and academic Brian Medlin, founded the Progressive Art Movement (PAM), which focused on political issues, social concerns, and education. It arose from a course at Flinders University called Politics and Art, and was inspired by Marxist Leninist theory. ==Description==

The Progressive Art Movement, based in Adelaide, was part of a bigger movement that was pushing back against elitism in the art world, and the group produced art that used cheaper materials, making it more accessible to artists and the public, such as silk screen printing and posters. PAM defined itself as a political organisation, and often mounted protests at institutions such as the Art Gallery of South Australia. Printmaker Ruth Faerber wrote when reviewing an exhibition of Adelaide art at the Art Gallery of NSW in 1977 that PAM was "motivated by a strong Marxist sociopolitical direction, agreed to a shared program for action and a sense of immediate imperative", compared with the Experimental Art Foundation, which did not commit to a set of agreed aims. Martin was castigated by the communist elements of the group for "fraternising with the enemy" after learning that she had had lunch with visiting American feminist curator and writer Lucy Lippard and Australian art historian Terry Smith. She "didn't so much desert the ship but I certainly moved to one side", after realising that she did not want to confine her criticism to capitalism, but wanted to critique socialism as well. ==Members==

The group included students, • Jim Crowley • Margaret Dodd • Andrew Hill (born 1952) • Ann Newmarch Mandy Martin was very involved in the development of feminist art in Australia, and was a student at the time she was part of PAM. is a painter, printmaker, theatre, film and graphic designer. He was associate professor at the UniSA 1979–2014, Director of the South Australian School of Art (2011–2014), and Associate Head of School at the School of Art, Architecture and Design at UniSA (2010–2014). ==Exhibitions==

From 16 May until 5 July 2024, the Flinders University Museum of Art is mounting the exhibition ''If you don't fight... you lose: politics, posters and PAM'', co-curated by art historian Catherine Speck and Jude Adams, with accompanying catalogue. They found a strong feminist element in the group, that was not celebrated as much at the time, and say that, while times are different, protest art continues in the same vein today. ==References==