Phyllis Shillito and her colour curriculum 1945–79

This event was presented jointly by Museums of History NSW and the Colour Society of Australia.

This hybrid in-person and online event focused on the colour curriculum of pioneering Sydney-based colour designer and educator Phyllis Shillito (1895–1980) of the 1940s to the 1970s.

In-person attendees examined the impressive collection of student exercises and notes created by designer Eva Fay when she was a student at the Shillito Design School in Sydney in the late 1970s, which were recently donated to the Caroline Simpson Library (CSL), as well as other Shillito portfolios held in the CSL and private collections.

In addition, three presentations established the context of Shillito’s teaching of colour. Artist and educator Jocelyn Maughan shared her recollections of Shillito as a teacher in the late 1950s and gave a critical assessment of Shillito’s approach to colour. Design historian Dr Catriona Quinn examines the broader context of Shillito’s impact on technical education and its relationship to the dynamic development of the Australian interior design profession. And Dr David Briggs discusses his research, conducted jointly with Eva Fay, into the sources of Shillito’s colour curriculum, based on the portfolios and notes on display.