National Art School Blog

Transposing the Common II - Rodney Pople

2009-11-04T15:18:00.007+11:00

National Art School Painting Lecturer Rodney Pople is opening a new exhibition in Shanghai with Zhao Qin on 7 November: Transposing the Common II.

Speaking of his work, Felicity Fenner says, “Our appreciation of historic cultures is influenced by personal experience and perception, by the big and small things that define our place in the world. Foremost among these are religion and sex, which have since the birth of Christianity been intertwined, outwardly denying common ground though inwardly bound by enslavement and temptation. In its citing of altarpiece paintings by Titian and other Western art masters, Pople’s work is a timely reminder that art that speaks of its times must embrace both the sublime and the salacious.”

Born in Australia in 1952, Rodney Pople received a Diploma of Fine Arts (Photography) from the Tasmanian School of Art before undertaking postgraduate studies in sculpture at the Slade School of Art in London and the New York Studio School. He has been exhibiting annually since 1978 and has recently won the Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney, 2008) and the Parliament Art Prize (Sydney, 2009). His work is held in state galleries, the National Gallery of Australia and prominent private collections, including those of Russell Crowe and Spike Jonze.

The exhibition will be held at the Eastlink Gallery, F5 Building 6, 50 Moganshan Road, Shanghai China www.eastlinkgallery.cn and runs until 21 November 2009

OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD

2009-11-04T14:51:00.008+11:00

CAN A GANG OF CONVICTS PUT ON A PLAY?
CAN A GROUP OF ART STUDENTS REALLY ACT?

Watch students of the National Art School flex their creative muscle as the beautiful
grounds of the historic Darlinghurst Gaol are transformed into hell on earth for Timberlake
Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good. Ghosts of inmates past will be brought to life as the
text explores the brutality of punishment and the redemptive power of Art. A night of
pick-pockets, whores, drunken sailors and gentlemen, but in this burnt-out country are all
what they seem? With the supplies dwindling and a surplus of rum on hand to subvert the
status quo, there will be either metamorphosis or mutiny. A moving artwork directed by
the incorrigible Sarah Enright for the National Art School Theatre Society, this is sure to be
an eye opening night at the theatre!

RUNS FOR 5 NIGHTS ONLY AT 8PM FROM: 23 - 28 NOVEMBER

Reserve your place through Friends of the National Art School.
Ph: 02 9339 8635
fonas@det.nsw.edu.au
The National Art School
Cnr Forbes and Burton Streets
Darlinghurst, just behind Taylor Square

PRESENTED BY FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL ART SCHOOL
DIRECTED BY SARAH ENRIGHT

Click Here for Media Release...

The Big Draw

2009-10-12T12:42:00.002+11:00

FREE FAMILY EVENT
Saturday 17 October 10am-5pm

The National Art School is opening its doors for a fun family day where everyone can try their hand at drawing, be that chalk drawing, life drawing or whatever inspires you. See artists at work and join in. This event is part of the City of Sydney's Art and About Festival, and the international Campaign for Drawing.

Events include:

Chalk Drawing - from Forbes Street
Postcard Drawings - NAS Campus cafe
Big Drawing (The Parade) - Forbes Street entrance
Life Drawing - in The Chapel
Site Specific Drawing - outside the NAS Gallery
Animal Drawing (from the Prop Room) - on campus, Building 11

Come along and get creative!

Position Vacant – Head of Academic Studies

2009-09-22T14:20:00.007+10:00

This is a pivotal senior appointment for the School as it implements its new strategic direction.

Click here for application information and forms

National Art School Open Day

2009-09-17T10:00:00.000+10:00

Come onto our historic campus and see for yourself what the National Art School has to offer students who wish to extend their practice in the visual arts.

WHEN: Wednesday, 23 September 10am-4pm
WHERE: National Art School, Cnr. Forbes & Burton Streets, Darlinghurst 2010

Hear artist talks, information sessions, take tours of the studios and visit our National Art School Gallery (The 58th Blake Prize will be on exhibition).

Program:

Information desks outside Building 25 all day, with staff and students on hand to answer questions.

10.00am Cell Block Theatre

Opening address and welcome
Registration desk for open Studio Tours led by students

Building 25 (til 1.00pm)
Drawing class with Carole Griffin “Drawing The Portrait Head”

10.45am Studio Tours commence

12.00pm Tours end in NAS Gallery to view 58th Blake Prize Exhibition

1.00-
2.00pm Cell Block Theatre

Art Forum Talk with Leslie Rice
Winner of the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (2007), graduate of the
National Art School and Tattoo Artist

2.00pm Building 25
Drawing class with Carole Griffin “Drawing The Portrait Head”

Outside Building 25
Register for open Studio Tours led by students

NAS Gallery – 58th Blake Prize Exhibition
Studio Tours

4.00pm Close

Gallery Talk Friday, 18 September 1pm FREE

2009-08-20T11:10:00.002+10:00

Rosemary Crumlin, Art Historian and author of the forthcoming major monograph on the history of the Blake Prize will lead a tour through this year’s exhibition.

National Art School Gallery, National Art School, Forbes Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010.

Art Forum Wednesday, 9 September 1pm FREE

2009-08-20T11:08:00.002+10:00

Join 58th Blake Prize exhibiting artists as they discuss their work with Rev Rod Pattenden.
National Art School Gallery, National Art School, Forbes Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Out of this World, Saturday 5 September, 2–4pm - FREE

2009-08-20T11:05:00.005+10:00

Starting at the Art Gallery of NSW this tour will introduce the print works of William Blake on view in Printmaking in the Age of Romanticism and will continue on to the NAS Gallery to consider Blake’s legacy in relation to the work of contemporary artists in this year’s Blake Prize. Refreshments will be served. RSVP (02) 9339 8744.

Click here for Tour details

Special Guest Lecture

2009-08-18T17:37:00.009+10:00

Friday 21 August 2009

2:00pm - CELL BLOCK THEATRE

Stephen Farthing RA
‘this is drawing’

A Cloud over Amagansett on Long Island. Photo S. Farthing 2007.

The Rootstein Hopkins Professor of Drawing
at the University of the Arts London, UK
will offer in 53 minutes an explanation in
pictures and words of what drawing is.

Alan Peascod - Influences and Dialogue - Gallery Talk

2009-08-04T11:28:00.003+10:00

The National Art School Gallery is currently showing an exhibition of ceramics featuring works by the acclaimed Alan Peascod and other ceramicists who have been influenced by him.

Join Craig Judd, co-curator of the exhibition Alan Peascod Influences and Dialogue for a discussion on Alan Peascod's practice and lasting influence on Australian ceramics.

When: Wednesday, 5 August at 6pm - FREE
Where: NAS Gallery, National Art School, Forbes Street Darlinghurst NSW 2010

The exhibition runs until 15 August.

NAS student ceramics exhibition

2009-07-16T13:45:00.004+10:00

To coincide with the Australian Ceramics Triennale, National Art School students Addison Marshall, Annabel Mason and Deborah Burdett invite you to view their work in "this is not a bush dance".

The Clay Room
Ground floor, Building 24
National Art School
Forbes St
Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Thurs 16 - Mon 20 July
Mon 27 - Fri 31 July
9am - 5pm

National Art School Fellowship

2009-05-28T18:21:00.010+10:00

The Hon Nathan Rees MP, Premier of New South Wales presented the 2009 National Art School Fellowship to Bert Flugelman AM, at the National Art School Graduation Ceremony last week.

A sculptor and painter, Bert Flugelman graduated from the National Art School 59 years ago. Presenting the Fellowship, the Premier said Mr Flugelman has made an enormous contribution to the visual arts in Australia and been a great teacher and mentor to young sculptors. He has also shown unwavering support for the National Art School.

Mr Flugelman was born in Vienna and arrived in Australia in 1938. He studied Sculpture at the National Art School between 1947 and 1950. Regarded as one of Australia’s pre-eminent sculptors, his works have been commissioned form many public sites in rural and metropolitan areas, and include the Dobell Memorial in Sydney and The Cones in the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery in Australia.

Inaugurated in 2002, the National Art School Fellowship has been awarded to Colin Lanceley AO, Peter Rushforth AM, John Coburn AM, Geoffrey Bardon AM, Elisabeth Cummings, Margaret Olley AC and John Olsen AO OBE.

Directors appointed to the new National Art School Board

2009-05-21T15:17:00.013+10:00

Thursday 21 May 2009

The Premier and Minister for the Arts, Nathan Rees today announced the appointment of six directors who will form the board of the newly-independent National Art School.

Mr Rees made the announcement during the school’s annual graduation ceremony where he also presented a National Art School Fellowship to one of Australia’s best-known sculptors, Bert Flugelman, himself a graduate 60 years ago.

“This is a historic day for the National Art School which fought for and has achieved independence – you have new leadership, a new structure and a future that is assured.

“The members of the board, approved by the NSW Cabinet this week, have enormous knowledge and experience in arts, finance, education and heritage.

“The chair will be one of the State’s most gifted and experienced cultural leaders, Peter Watts AM, who for 27 years was the director of the Historic Houses Trust of NSW.

“Joining him will be will be Mark Tedeschi QC, Sandra Yates AO, Hon. John Aquilina MP, the Director General of the Department of Arts, Sport and Recreation Carol Mills and Mr Peter Riordan, the Deputy Director General of the Department of Education and Training.

“One of the board’s earliest tasks will be guiding the school in its transition with the help of a strong business plan,” he added.

The Minister for Education and Training, Ms Verity Firth, said the government had consulted widely to develop the best possible operating model for the National Art School.

“In January, I was pleased to announce the School’s new director, Professor Anita Taylor, who commenced at the school in May.

“This highly skilled and experienced board will help the director to lead the School through this new phase of its history,” said Ms Firth.

The three year appointments take effect from 1 June 2009.

Presenting the fellowship to Mr Flugelman, the Premier said Mr Flugelman had made an enormous contribution to the visual arts in Australia and had been a great teacher and mentor to young sculptors. He had also shown unwavering support for the National Art School.

The National Arts School operates from the former Old Darlinghurst Gaol and uses a unique atelier or studio method of training, with teachers who are practising artists.

Under the new arrangement, the National Arts School is no longer overseen by the NSW Department of Education and Training.

Media: Vivienne Skinner 02 9228 5239, 0411 206 224

National Art School Welcomes New Director, Professor Anita Taylor

2009-05-19T13:23:00.014+10:00

Following the recent announcement of her appointment by the NSW Minister for Education and Training, The Hon Verity Firth MP, Professor Anita Taylor has arrived in Sydney to take up her new role as National Art School Director.

An experienced and highly regarded artist, academic and former Dean of Wimbledon College of Art, London, Anita Taylor comes to the National Art School from her most recent appointment as the Director of The Centre for Drawing at the University of Arts London. Anita has exhibited and taught extensively both in the UK and internationally and in 2005 was elected an Academician of the Royal West of England Academy (RWA), and was recently an appointed member of the Art & Design Panel for the UK Research Assessment Exercise (RAE2008).

Anita is well known to many in the National Art School community, following her visit as Artist in Residence in 2004, and for her instrumental role in the National Art School’s partnership with The Centre for Drawing in 2007 to present Drawing Breath a survey exhibition and symposium hosted by the National Art School Gallery, which documented a decade of the annual Jerwood Drawing Prize - the most prestigious award for contemporary drawing in the UK - of which she is the founding Director.

This wealth of experience, coupled with her sustained belief in the vital role of drawing in contemporary art practice and art education suggest both a deep respect for the greatest traditions of the National Art School and perhaps of equal importance, a similarly great enthusiasm for the future of the School.

"The National Art School has a long and distinguished history,
and I am delightedto have been appointed to lead this exceptional
institution at this particular moment in time. The challenges and
opportunities afforded by our new model of operation as an
independent entity herald an exciting new era in which we can
confidently enhance and develop our unique position in art
education in Australia and in an international context."

Anita Taylor will present a lecture exploring the role of drawing in her practice as an artist as part of the NAS Weekly Forum lecture program on Wednesday, 27 May 2009 at 1.00 PM in the Cell Block Theatre at the National Art School. Attendance is free and members of the public are welcome to attend.

http://www.nas.edu.au/Whats_on_Events.htm

Australian Ceramics Triennale comes to NAS

2009-05-11T15:19:00.002+10:00

The Australian Ceramics Triennale will be held 16-20 July. The majority of the event will be held at the NAS campus with exhibitions and activities also at COFA, SCA and The Manly Museum and Art Gallery.

To view speakers, papers, program, exhibitions and activities associated with this event please visit the website www.australianceramicstriennale.com

In tandem with this major event, the NAS Gallery will host two ceramics exhibitions - LINK: Korean Australian Ceramics Exchange Project and Alan Peascod: influences and dialogue. Both exhibitions run 8 July - 15 August 2009.

LINK is the culmination of an exchange between the National Art School Ceramics Department and Kongju National University, Seoul, and features artists from Australia and Korea.

Alan Peascod's exhibition is an investigation of traditions and techniques, creative interaction and influence over three decades, centring on Alan Peascod’s vast, stylistically varied and technologically brilliant career. Also on display are ceramics by Elizabeth Charles, Simone Fraser, John Kuczwal and Graham Oldroyd, each of whom worked with and were influenced by Alan Peascod.

NAS graduate wins 2009 Archibald Prize

2009-03-10T09:55:00.003+11:00

Guy Maestri has won the 2009 Archibald Prize with his painting of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupinguoil (on linen – 200cm x 168cm). Guy was inspired to use Gurrumul as his subject having seen him perform live last year on New Year's Eve, which was "truly an unforgettable experience."

The opportunity to meet with Gurrumul was limited - 40 minutes at Sydney airport before he flew to the US, during which time Guy sketched and studied him closely. The painting was completed after a month's work, with Guy listening intently to Gurrumul's music most of the time.

Born in Mudgee, NSW in 1974, Maestri completed a Bachelor of Fine Art (Hons) in painting at the National Art School in 2003. He has had solo exhibitions at the Tim Olsen Gallery and was a finalist in the 2007 and 2008 Dobell Drawing Prize.

Peter Hanley, currently a second year student here at the School, is also a finalist in this year's Archibald.

Congratulations to both!

Recent NAS graduates exhibit at Australian Galleries

2009-02-12T09:44:00.003+11:00

Recent graduates Lauren Murphy and Yori Price, (who both studied printmaking), received the 2007 Australian Galleries Exhibition Award. The fruits of their labour will be on exhibition from Thursday, 19 February to 8 March 2009. Still Lives - Australian Galleries National Art School Award Exhibition will be opened at 6pm on 19 February by the National Art School's Acting Director, Simon Cooper. All are welcome.

Australian Galleries Glenmore Road, 24 Glenmore Road, Paddington NSW 2021. 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, 12pm-5pm Sunday.

Future of National Art School secured

2009-01-30T16:26:00.004+11:00

The NSW Minister for Education and Training, the Hon Verity Firth MP, has announced that the School is now an independent institution, and will remain at the historic Darlinghurst Gaol site.

The School will be registered as a public company, with a board of directors and the Ministers for Arts and Education as shareholders.

Ms Firth said “This unique institution deserves the opportunity to stand on its own feet and to plan confidently for its future, and this does just that.”

The Minister also announced the appointment of a new Director for the School, Professor Anita Taylor. Professor Taylor is currently Director of the Centre for Drawing at the University of Arts, London. She will take up her appointment shortly.

Link to Minister’s Media Statement: (pdf) http://www.nas.edu.au//pdfs/2009/NAS_Future.pdf

Link to SMH article: http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/art-institution-welcomes-hardwon-ndependence/2009/01/27/1232818435582.html

Link to ABC News: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/28/2475834.htm

National Art School Thanks Sydney Harbour Foreshore Trust

2009-01-30T16:23:00.003+11:00

Bernard Ollis, Director, and Lynne Eastaway, Head of Drawing, present a drawing to thank the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Trust for their support of the National Art School's Drawing Week, held at the start of the academic year on Cockatoo Island.

Free Drawing Sessions

2008-10-16T17:27:00.004+11:00

Once again this year, the National Art School is holding free drawing sessions for anyone interested in trying their hand at life drawing, as part of the City of Sydney’s Art & About Festival.

Dates:
Wednesday, 15 October, Taylor Square North - 12noon-2.30pm
Friday, 17 October, Circular Quay, AMP Forecourt - 11am-2.00pm.

No bookings required, just turn up and join in!
Materials supplied.

National Art School Open Day Saturday

2008-10-16T17:19:00.005+11:00

As part of the City of Sydney’s Art & About Festival, the National Art School will be open to the public on Saturday 25th October, 10am-4pm.
Come in and see the works of our Honours students at the NAS Gallery, hear them talk about their work and experience at the School (1pm), visit open studios, or take a History Tour of the campus that was once Darlinghurst Gaol.
Tours run at 11am and 2pm.

Job Opportunity

2008-09-25T11:08:00.002+10:00

The National Art School Drawing Department is seeking to appoint an outstanding and innovative lecturer with an extensive knowledge of the Drawing discipline, both contemporary and historical, and a distinguished exhibitions record. Experience in art education and relevant tertiary qualifications are also essential.

Applications will be accepted up to 24 October 2008

For further information and to apply click on link below

https://jobs.nsw.gov.au/JobDetails.asp?JobAdvertId=76281

Rodney Pople wins The King's School Art Prize

2008-08-21T14:08:00.001+10:00

Rodney Pople, Lecturer with the NAS Painting Department, has won The King’s School 2008 Art Prize, valued at $15,000.

This acquisitive prize was established in 1994 and is held annually with The King’s School Art Show. Past winners include Aida Tomescu, Lyndal Brown and Charles Green, John Olsen, Peter Churcher, Ben Quilty and Geoffrey De Groen.

In presenting the award, guest judge Anthony Bond, Director of Curatorial Services at The Art Gallery of New South Wales, likened Rodney’s work Crystal Clear II to that of Yves Klein, one of his most revered artists, who “spent his life trying to picture the void”. “…Rodney is capturing something like what I imagine this immaterial sensibility could feel like” said Bond. “In this exhibition Rodney in particular stands apart from the fast food aesthetic of fashion and there is every chance that his unusual, sometimes incomprehensible, illuminations will survive the vagaries of history”.

Rodney Pople has an exhibition coming up at Australian Galleries, Glenmore Road, Paddington from 4 September 2008. Opening night is 5 September.

New NAS Drawing blog

2008-07-17T16:25:00.005+10:00

Lynne Eastaway, Head of Drawing, has been busily developing a new Drawing blog for NAS students - but the links and news would be useful to anyone with an interest in the subject. Soon to be accessible via a link from the National Art School's website, you can go there right now: http://nasdrawing.blogspot.com Contributions welcome!

Middle Head Landscape Project

2008-05-27T12:55:00.005+10:00

On campus exhibition of 2nd Year student works, opened by Bernard Ollis, Director at 5.30pm Wednesday 28 May 2008, in Building 25, National Art School.

The exhibition is based upon the 2nd Year Landscape Project at Middle Head and displays the process involved in making a painting, from the original study on site to the finished studio painting. The project is made possible with the cooperation and support of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Exhibition dates: 27-29 May 2008 Opening Hours: 10am-4.30pm

NATIONAL ART SCHOOL CERAMICS STAFF EXHIBITIONS

2008-04-16T13:12:00.002+10:00

AUSTRALIAN WOODFIRE CERAMICS 3 April - 12 May John Freeland Gallery 120 Glenmore Rd Paddington.
Group exhibition including staff: BILL SAMUELS, SANDY LOCKWOOD,DON COURT & TANIA ROLLOND

STURT WOODFIRE CONFERENCE 18-21 APRIL at the Sturt Contemporary Craft Centre in Mittagong.
SANDY LOCKWOOD is a presenter.

KEY PRESENTERS 26 March-21 April
Sturt Gallery, Mittagong
Group Exhibition including SANDY LOCKWOOD

THE MASTERS 14 -21 April
Sturt Contemporary Craft Centre, Mittagong Group exhibition including BILL SAMUELS

A TASTE OF WOODFIRING 16-21 April
Sturt Contemporary Craft Centre, Mittagong Group exhibition including staff DON COURT

BOTANICALS: 5 April - 15 June
OBJECT GALLERY, Bourke Street, Darlinghurst Group exhibition including staff TANIA ROLLOND

MERRAN ESSON 15 April – 17 May at
Stella Downer Gallery 2 Danks Street, Waterloo

EAST WINDS 21 March - 5 May
Cudgegong Gallery, Gulgong
Group exhibition including staff WON SEOK KIM.

Scumbag

2008-04-02T11:44:00.002+11:00

Scumbag - Ella Dreyfus

Exhibition Opening at Stills Gallery on Wed 9 April 6-8pm
Exhibition 9 April to 10 May 2008
Artist Talk Saturday 12 April 2pm

36 Gosbell Streeet, Paddington NSW 2021

Doug Moran National Portrait Prize

2008-03-19T13:43:00.002+11:00

Among the finalists in this year's Moran prize for portraiture were NAS lecturer Noel McKenna and alumni Seth Birchall, Cherry Hood, and Guy Maestri.

Congratulations to all!

Images of all finalists' work are available at the Moran Prizes website.

Rodney Pople wins Sulman!

2008-03-07T13:14:00.002+11:00

Congratulations to NAS lecturer Rodney Pople on winning the 2008 Sulman Prize with his work Stage fright.

An image of the work and details of the exhibition are available at: http://www.thearchibaldprize.com.au/winners/sulman

Archibald, Wynne and Sulman finalists

2008-02-28T14:13:00.008+11:00

National Art School staff, students and graduates feature in this year's Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Finalists in the Archibald are Joanna Braithwaite, Rodney Pople and Leslie Rice.
Finalists in the Wynne are Euan Macleod and Rodney Pople.
Finalists in the Sulman are Vilma Bader, Yvonne Boag, Janet Haslett, Rodney Pople and Aida Tomescu.

Announcement of the winners will take place on Friday 7 March 2008 at 12 noon.

The exhibition will be on display at the Art Gallery of NSW 8 March - 18 May 2008.

Salad Days: Justin Balmain, Deidre Brollo, Catherine Fox, David Wills

2008-02-23T10:49:00.005+11:00

In 2007 The National Art School selected four talented young artists to undertake residencies within the fields of drawing, photography, painting and printmaking. After a year of working in their studios on campus, teaching and sustained interaction with students and faculty, The National Art School is presenting an invigorating exhibition defined by fresh new ideas inspired by the art school environment. The exhibition features work by the artists Justin Balmain, Deidre Brollo, Catherine Fox and David Wills. Salad Days is an exciting and diverse exhibition that is the manifestation of a years’ work for these four artists. The title Salad Days plays with the idiomatic expression used to refer to the days when we are young and relatively inexperienced and idealistic, but can also mean a time when we are at the peak of our abilities.

Justin Balmain’s abstract paintings and drawings playfully embrace ornament, pattern making and shifting perspective often creating striking optical effects. His work questions the material parameters of two dimensional works, and incorporates blankets, wallpaper, rubber, and graffiti along with traditional media of paint and ink. David Wills’ photo-media based work examines the nature of consumer society and mass-consumption. His mass accumulation of photographs look at both images of luxury and the abject that make up our daily intake of visual information. Catherine Fox’s large and small scale oil paintings evoke both traditional and contemporary representations of the nude and self-portraiture. Deidre Brollo is a printmaker with a particular interest in artists' books. Using various printmaking techniques she creates familiar images of unfamiliar places as a means of evoking ideas of place and the uncertainty of memory.

Salad Days will take the format of a group exhibition with an evolving project space that will be utilised by three of the artists for a period of 6 days each over the duration of the overall presentation. This allows for a continuous display of work and evolving solo presentations by the artists.

Salad Days: Justin Balmain, Deidre Brollo, Catherine Fox, David Wills
National Art School 2007 Artists in Residence

21 February – 29 March 2008
National Art School Gallery
10am – 4pm (Closed Sundays & Public Holidays)

EVENTS

Midweek Social
Thursday 6 March, 6 – 9pm
David Wills invites you to an evening of board games, refreshments, entertainment and prizes
Dress Code: Cocktail/Cruise

The Weekly Bus-Rail Ticket: Noel McKenna

2008-02-23T10:36:00.013+11:00

Service Station, Paddington (1988)

From 21 February – 29 March 2008 the National Art School Gallery will present The Weekly Bus-Rail Ticket: Noel McKennaa selection of little or never before seen works by McKenna that he made as a young man after moving from Brisbane to Sydney in the late 1970s. These early watercolours, drawings and prints convey the human dimension in the modern city, depicting the familiar and changing terrain of Sydney from Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Centennial Park and beyond. In these delightful images of the city we see the pleasure of the artist as he explores his new home, from the camaraderie of friends playing football in Centennial Park, a solitary urban figure in an apartment complex in Surry Hills or the thrill of the ferris wheel at Luna Park and the monumental presence of the Harbour Bridge.

McKenna’s work shows a wry and subtle sense of humour without ever being cloying or sentimental. His ongoing interest in depicting flat, spare images are seen in their earliest incarnation in these works on paper from 1976-1989. The portable nature of works on paper inherently convey the nature of his trajectory as he moved about Sydney turning his incisive eye on the ordinary, the everyday, the ‘crapola’ as he calls it. This is part one of a two part presentation, McKenna will be showing works from his 2007 travels through Sydney at Darren Knight Gallery later this year.

The Weekly Bus-Rail Ticket: Noel McKenna

21 February – 29 March 2008

National Art School Gallery
10am – 4pm (Closed Sundays & Public Holidays)

Public Programs

Art Forum Series 5 March, 1 PM FREE
Join artist Noel McKenna and Katie Dyer, NAS Gallery Curator, for a discussion on the selection of works in the exhibition and McKenna’s intriguing narrative works about the city which he has made over the last three decades.

Congratulations to all NAS prize winners for 2007!

2007-12-03T15:49:00.000+11:00

FONAS Art School Ball Prizes for Drawing ($500 each)
ROBERT SHEPHERD, 1st yr and NAOMI MIKHAIEL, 2nd yr
Blankcanvas Award (materials to the value of $500)
DANIEL HOLLIER, 2nd yr
FONAS Prizes ($500 for outstanding 2nd yr student in each Dept)
Art History & Theory - ANGELIKI ANDROUTSOPOULOS
Ceramics - CAROLYN LEDERMAN
Painting - KATHERINE UREN
Photography - KYLIE SYLVESTER
Printmaking - JASMINE FRANCIS
Sculpture - TAMMIE CASTLES
Global Materials Award – $500 worth of materials for outstanding 2nd yr (Painting)
JANICE HEBERLING
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Awards for 2007, totalling $4,800.
MARIE O’BRIEN
NAOMI MIKHAIL
CHRIS WALTER
REBECCA BLACKBURN
GEORGINA POLLARD
GAIL JACKSON
CHRISTINA BUDDEN
HUW LEWIS
2008 Onslow Storrier National Art School Paris Studio
Ana Anderson Honours Painting
Lauren Murphy Honours Printmaking
Catherine Bailey Painting Alumnus 05
Kim Spooner NAS Painting staff
National Association for the Visual Arts Ignition Prize for Professional Development

GIOVANNA MARELLI

CERAMICS
The Australian Ceramics Directory Award
JUSTINE KITSON
The Journal of Australian Ceramics Award
KIM MAREE
The Ceramics Art & Perception Prize
JUSTINE KITSON
The Janet Mansfield Ceramics Award
JUSTIN COOPER
N.E. Pethebridge Award ($500 for research in ceramics for an Honours student)
SEINILEVA HUAKAU
N.E. Pethebridge Award ($500 for research in ceramics for 3rd Year Student)
RAQUEL THOMPSON
The Inner City Clayworkers Gallery Student Award
JUSTIN COOPER
Sabbia Gallery Exhibition Prize for an exhibition in December 2008
RAQUEL THOMPSON
Sydney Olympic Park Residency – Ceramics
SEINILEVA HUAKAU
ADFAS Award ($1,000 for an outstanding 3rd year student)
RAQUEL THOMPSON

DRAWING
FONAS Art School Ball Prizes for Drawing ($1,000)
AKHIRO MATSUDA
The John Olsen Prize for Figure Drawing ($2,000)
NICOLE TOMS
The Clive Stanbridge Prize ($2,000)
NICOLE TOMS

PHOTOGRAPHY
The Kayell Award (voucher for $500)
ALLAN GARLICK
The PhotoKing Award ($1,070 photographic printing voucher)
Wina Jie
The Joel Corrigan Memorial Photography Award ($1,000)
ROSLYN DURNFORD

PRINTMAKING
The Stella Downer Printmaking Award ($500)
DEAN BROWN
The Akky Van Ogtrop Printmaking Award ($200 towards materials)
NICHOLAS CHRISTOFORIDIS
Sydney Olympic Park Residency – Printmaking
JAMESON KING
The Australian Galleries Works on Paper Exhibition Award
LAUREN MURPHY (HONOURS)
YORI PRICE (3RD YEAR)

SCULPTURE
Australian Casting Prize (value of $700 towards bronze casting)
HILDRETH POTTS
Sydney Olympic Park Residency – Sculpture
TANYA ZHIVANOVICH
The Julian Beaumont Sculpture Prize ($5,000)
GINI VECERINA

PAINTING
Chroma Paints Award ($500 of painting materials)
KEVIN McKAY
The Sydney Art Cooperative Studio Award (Use of a studio for 6 months each)
PHILIPPA HAGON
KATE BUTCHER
Sydney Olympic Park Residency – Painting
GINNINA QUINN
St Vincent’s Xavier Exhibition Award
ALESANDRO LJUBICIC
Parkers Sydney Fine Art Supplies Award ($1000 for materials)
TROY QUINLIVEN
Parkers Sydney Fine Art Framing Award ($1000 for framing)
NATHAN HAWKES
St. Vincent’s Public Hospital Painting Collection Award ($2,000, plus acquisition of work)
KEVIN MCKAY
SHANNAN SAINSBURY
SUZIE WILLIAMS
IVAN GOODACRE
William Fletcher Foundation (prizes totalling $9,000)
STEPHEN BENWELL ($1000)
KIM FASHER ($1000)
SHANNAN SAINSBURY ($1000)
ALESANDRO LJUBICIC ($3000)
KEVIN MCKAY ($3000)
The Reg Richardson Travelling Scholarship ($2500)
CHRIS HORDER
The Paris Studio Residency
MEREDITH WILLIAMS
Clitheroe Foundation Scholarship ($20,000 for a 3rd year student to assist in studying Honours)
MELITA ORAM

NAS Honours Grad wins SOYA07

2007-11-29T13:34:00.000+11:00

Congratulations to Joan Cameron-Smith on winning the Qantas Spirit of Youth Award for photography! This award was won in both 2005 and 2006 by another NAS Honours graduate Josh Heath. Find out more about Joan's win here.

Congratulations also to Honours graduate Mitch Cairns, who was highly commended in the Visual Arts category. See the SOYA website for details.

National Art School awarded federal Community Heritage Grant

2007-11-21T14:08:00.000+11:00

The National Art School has been awarded a $14,410 federal Community Heritage Grant to fund a Significance Assessment and Preservation Survey of the National Art School and Darlinghurst Gaol Collection and Archive, and to rehouse some of the collection in archival storage.

The grant was announced at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, on Tuesday 13 November. Deborah Beck accepted the grant on behalf of NAS from Jan Fullerton, National Library Director-General.

In addition, Deborah Beck, lecturer and archivist at the National Art School, attended a three-day intensive preservation and collection management workshop held at the National Library, the National Archives of Australia, the National Museum of Australia and the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra.

Deborah said the grant was important in supporting the effort to preserve the National Art School Archive at the grassroots level. “The grant provides the funds and the workshop the expertise to help us protect our collection and make it accessible while it remains in the local context,” she said. “Over the next year it will be possible to employ an historian and conservator to assess the collection and provide advice on the preservation of the documents, photographs and art works in the archive. We will also be purchasing painting racks, plan drawers and display cabinets for the collection.”

In announcing the awards, National Library Director-General Jan Fullerton said the program, which began in 1994, had surpassed expectations. “It has been taken up by groups throughout Australia, ensuring the longevity of nationally significant collections and that the collections stay in the community where they belong.

The program is managed by the National Library. It is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, the National Archives, the National Film and Sound Archive, the National Museum and the Library.

DEGREE SHOW 07

2007-11-21T13:56:00.000+11:00

Bernard Ollis, Director of the National Art School
invites you to the opening of the DEGREE SHOW 07

Celebrating the experience of 3 years of intensive studio practice by final year students majoring in ceramics, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture.

To be opened by acclaimed artist, alumnus and former lecturer Tim Maguire
on Thursday 29 November 6-9pm in the Cell Block.

The event includes the presentation of end of year prizes.
Exhibition continues until Tuesday 11 December
Monday - Saturday 10am-4pm

Open studios Thursday 29 November 6-9pm
continuing through to 1 December 10am-4pm daily.

David Horton wins Sculpture by the Sea

2007-10-31T14:52:00.001+11:00

National Art School staff and students continue to win Australia's major art prizes.

Congratulations to David Horton!

David Horton, currently undertaking his Master of Fine Arts at the National Art School, has today been awarded the 2007 Sculpture by the Sea Prize.

David has been awarded $30,000 for the acquisitive prize. His winning work Yesternight will be placed on permanent public view after the exhibition's conclusion.

David is also currently lecturing in the Sculpture Department at the National Art School.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/31/2077109.htm?section=entertainment

HONOURS SHOW 07

2007-10-24T16:16:00.000+10:00

Bernard Ollis, Director of the National Art School
invites you to the opening of the
HONOURS SHOW 07

Featuring works by 22 National Art School Honours students majoring in ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture.

To be opened by John Firth-Smith
on Thursday 1 November 6-8pm
National Art School Gallery

Exhibition continues until Tuesday 13 November
Monday - Saturday 10am-4pm

Gallery talk, 2 November, 1pm FREE
Join National Art School Honours students as they discuss their work and the process of undertaking this rigorous program of study.

Nathan Hawkes wins 2007 Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship

2007-09-13T14:13:00.000+10:00

Winner of the 2007 Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, Nathan Hawkes, Icebergs 2007 oil on canvas, 42 x 76cm .

National Art School student Nathan Hawkes is the winner of the ninth Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship for his work Icebergs 2007, oil on canvas.

One hundred and four entries were received from around Australia, of which 21 are included in the finalists’ exhibition at the Brett Whiteley Studio.

Twenty-six year-old Hawkes is currently completing his third and final year at the National Art School in Darlinghurst, where he is studying for a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in painting. He was included in the National Art School Drawing Week show in 2006, and earlier this year was awarded the St Vincent Xavier Art Space Prize.

In 2004 Mrs Beryl Whiteley was awarded an OAM for the creation and endowment of the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship. The inspiration for this annual scholarship was the profound effect of international travel and study experienced by her son, Brett Whiteley, as a result of winning the Italian Travelling Art Scholarship at the age of 20. Nathan has been awarded $25,000 and a three-month residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, which is administered by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

The judges this year were artist, Aida Tomescu, Art Gallery of New South Wales Director, Edmund Capon and Barry Pearce, the Gallery’s Head Curator of Australian Art. Aida Tomescu said that Nathan’s work showed a very considered and thoughtful approach to his subject and she was interested in the way each image changed as it evolved into a new identity.

Finalists’ paintings will be exhibited at the Brett Whiteley Studio from Saturday 15 September to 25 November 2007.

Information courtesy press release, Art Gallery of New South Wales

56th Blake Prize for Religious Art

2007-09-04T14:00:00.000+10:00

Shirley Purdie, Stations of the Cross, winner, 56th Blake Prize for Religious Art.

Jumaadi, Whisper, John Coburn Emerging Professional Artists Award.

Rodney Pople, The Last Supper, Highly Commended, 56th Blake Prize for Religious Art.

The National Art School is proud to be the hosting partner of The Blake Prize for Religious Art for the second year. Since it’s inception in 1949, The Blake Prize has stimulated a fascinating dialogue between art and religion. Named after the British artist and poet William Blake (1757-1827), the Prize aims to present perspectives from all religious backgrounds, encouraging artists to explore concepts of belief and truth.

The Blake Prize recognises entries related to any faith or artistic style. The work must be made within two years of the submission date and unlike many other prizes there is no restriction on media. This combination generates a dynamic exhibition in which myriad styles, ideas and values sit parallel, and where conservative religious art forms are challenged. This year also saw the awarding of the inaugural John Coburn Emerging Professional Artists Award which honours the memory of the late Australian artist, John Coburn, long associated with the Blake.

The Blake Prize and John Coburn Emerging Professional Artists Award were judged by a panel comprising of Tongan born religious writer and critic Rev. Dr Jione Havea, author and curator Jennifer Isaacs AM well known for her work with indigenous art, and the nationally and internationally renowned artist Lindy Lee, whose Chinese background informs her practice.

The winner of the Blake Prize for Religious Art 2007 is Shirley Purdie, an indigenous artsist for her painting Stations of the Cross. According to the judges: “The winning work by Shirley Purdie is simply delicious in colour, texture and feeling. It is a marvellously realised painterly journey that recreates the stories told to the artist in childhood of the Stations of the Cross in Warmun country using a breathtakingly beautiful natural ochre pallette made from the earths eroded from the very Kimberley rocks whose mobile shapes enclose and frame the vignettes of story. A solidly honest, confident, and true painting it becomes a meditation on travelling within the artists country following a remembered and cherished biblical journey of suffering and pain towards redemption, and perhaps as well asks us to reflect on loss, pain and the journeys we all need to make towards each other.”

National Art School lecturer Rodney Pople was Highly Commended for his work The Last Supper. The judges commented that, “Pople is a great painter of luminosity – energised light. This painting burns slowly and gathers intensity the longer the viewer stays with it.”

Whisper by Indonesian artist Jumaadi was awarded the Inaugural John Coburn Award for Emerging Artists. For the judges, Jumaadi's work was “like a broken- up and laid out manuscript. Evoking the multiplicity of experiences and giving vignettes in the confusing lives of its actors, it references much in art as it does in life which causes one to pause, consider, and yet enjoy its street -wise comic -book illustrations, as well as its deft intelligence. Viewing this work, like judging the Blake prize itself, was like sitting in a gallery of restless stories.” Jumaadi is a Masters of Fine Arts candidate at the National Art School.

Further information on the exhibition is available from the Blake Society at http://www.blakeprize.com.au/

The 56th Blake Prize for Religious Art is on display at the NAS Gallery 30 August – 29 September 2007, Monday – Saturday 10am - 4pm. Please note the NAS Gallery is closed Friday 7th and Saturday 8th September.

Paul Thomas discusses Drawing Breath

2007-08-17T16:17:00.000+10:00

In this video from the British Council Paul Thomas discusses works from the exhibition "Drawing Breath: 10 years of the Jerwood Drawing Prize /A Survey Exhibition of Contemporary British Drawing" held at the National Art School Gallery 22 Feb - 13 Apr 2007.

Picasso said, “You should put out the eyes of painters as they do chaffinches so that they can sing more sweetly.” Artist and Jerwood Prize co-founder and judge Paul Thomas explores how great British artists represent the world through drawing and asks, “Why do we all draw so much as children and so little as adults?”
http://podcastuk.org/node/48

NAS students win Dymocks Art Prize

2007-07-18T14:19:00.000+10:00

Congratulations to Elizabeth Eastland and Fiona Edmeades, who both won prizes in the recent Dymocks Art Prize.

Elizabeth Eastland came first in the painting section with Little Farmers Cay (below). Fiona Edmeades came second in the drawing section with her work Old Friend. Both had their works displayed in the windows of the Dymocks stationery store, George St, Sydney.

Image: Little Farmers Cay by Elizabeth Eastland

NAS and Darlinghurst Gaol on ABC Radio

2007-07-18T10:10:00.000+10:00

ABC Radio National's social history program ‘Hindsight’ is doing a one hour documentary on Darlinghurst Gaol and the National Art School called ‘Penned in Sandstone’(Henry Lawson’s words).

This program will air on ABC Radio National AM576 on Sunday 29th July at 2pm. It will be repeated on Thursday 2nd August at 1pm. It will also be available on CD from NAS Library.

The program includes interviews with Margaret Olley, Norman Hetherington ( Mr Squiggle), Deborah Beck, Christopher Allen, Colin Lanceley and others.

To subscribe to the podcast or download the audio, go to http://www.abc.net.au/rn/hindsight/default.htm

Thankyou to Deborah Beck for passing on this information.

Congratulations to Emily Portmann and Joan Cameron-Smith

2007-07-17T15:01:00.000+10:00

NAS Honours graduate Emily Portmann has won the John & Margaret Baker Memorial Fellowship. This is an award for an emerging artist of less than five years experience and part of the 2007 NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE, CONSTRUCTED REALMS: Photography as Theatre

Emily 's work will become part of the Albury City Collection and the work of recent Honours Photography graduate Joan Cameron-Smith was also collected.

If you're in Albury, the exhibition continues until July 8.

Kabul Revisited, photos by Eleanor Dearin

2007-07-17T14:20:00.001+10:00

NAS Photo Graduate Eleanor Dearin has been living for three months in Kabul, Afganistan and is exhibiting the resulting photographs at Customs House, Circular Quay, Sydney

The images focus on the daily lives of people rather than images of warefare favoured by the western media.

Here is a link to some of the images
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/gallery/0,22056,5024052-5010140-1,00.html

Exhibition runs from 12 July 2007 to 29 July 2007 (Free entry)

The Capitals Project: Works On Paper From Seoul

2007-06-06T14:43:00.000+10:00

Friday 29 June – Saturday 28 July 2007

ART INTERCHANGE

A Cultural Response From Sydney To Seoul and Back Again

The Capitals Project is a collaborative project established by the Printmaking Departments of the National Art School, Sydney, and Hong-Ik University, Seoul. The exhibition represents the third stage of this ongoing exchange, which began in 2004 between these two major institutions. The partnership stimulates an important cultural dialogue between eminent and emerging artists from these two cities.

The Capitals Project builds on the success of two previous collaborative enterprises Interchange 1 and Interchange 2 initiated by Simon Cooper, Head of the National Art School’s Printmaking Department, and Professor Song Dae Sup, Head of Printmaking Department, Hong-Ik University. The Interchange project is the direct result of artists working in two distant locations, seeking to establish a dialogue that extends beyond their own cultural boundaries and serves to reinforce the communicative capacity of the shared language of printmaking.

Printmaking’s capacity to generate multiple images represents an enduring power to disseminate ideas and images to a broad and diverse audience which is so specific to this medium. Within this area of the visual arts, printmaking also has the capacity to embrace a diversity of media and techniques that utilises traditional methods and the latest technology, from etchings, lithographs, silkscreens, to web-based projects.

This third collaborative project involves 70 participating artists (staff, students and alumni) from each institution who will produce a print based art work in response to photographic images of the capital city that is the geographical home to each respective institution. The images selected range from tourist kitsch to historical documentation. The source images are supplied by the participating artists in each city and represent an act of self-portraiture that is offered for re-consideration by their counterparts.

70 artists from Sydney will produce artworks in response to 70 images of Seoul which will be exhibited in Seoul / 70 artists from Seoul will produce artworks in response to 70 images o Sydney.

The Capitals Project provides a forum for cross-cultural dialogue within the more specific context of the visual arts and seeks to identify a convergent contemporary vision and understanding in the Asia Pacific region that draws upon two significantly different visual arts heritages.

In a contemporary sense printmaking represents a language in a state of continual development where many of the time honoured crafts of a cultural tradition are preserved not simply for their historical curiosity but rather for their inherent ability to continually reflect and address the concerns of a contemporary community.

THE CAPITALS PROJECT is an important international event at the National Art School Gallery and will open to the public on Friday 29 June and run until Saturday 28 July 2007.
Public Programs

Artist Floor Talk 7 July, 2pm
Christopher Hanrahan and Nigel Milsom’s conversation around painting, drawing, sculpture and video continues in this forum providing audiences with the opportunity to discuss aspects of the exhibition with the artists.

Exhibition Talk, 21 July, 2pm
Organised in connection with The Capitals exhibition on view in Gallery One, Rachel Kent, Senior Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, will consider the various modes of contemporary portraiture that are articulated in these two exhibitions.

Living On Luck: Christopher Hanrahan and Nigel Milsom

2007-06-06T14:33:00.000+10:00

29 June – 4 August May 2007

Living On Luck: Christopher Hanrahan and Nigel Milsom examines the connections between these two artists who share many aesthetic and conceptual concerns though their work is separated by form and material. The exhibition, which will consist of paintings and drawings by Milsom and an installation work incorporating sculpture, video, sound and drawings by Hanrahan aims to demonstrate how our understanding of each artists’ practice is enriched in proximity to the other.

Living on Luck combines the work of Hanrahan, a former National Art School student, with one of his artistic peers. Working concurrently critiquing and occasionally collaborating, Hanrahan and Milsom’s material differences have served to feed their continued artistic conversation. Their shared interest and ongoing communications about process and the thematic presence of portraiture in their work stimulated the idea of staging this collaborative project. The works are made individually by the artists, however the collaborative aspect is experienced through questions of representation, metaphor, the use of materials, and the use of the gallery space to create narrative structures.

The exhibition examines conventions of portraiture and its engagement with literal and non-literal representations of the self and subject. Part psychological, part expressive Hanrahan and Milsom propose a series of questions that elucidate the dichotomies inherent within representation. Their work considers the complex mechanisms through which our personal and public identities are constructed.

Hanrahan’s practice focuses on a type of self-portraiture that mines his personal archive utilising drawings, prints, sculpture, text and video. Hanrahan’s displays place an emphasis on proliferation and incorporating materials that are generally perceived to have little or no value such as plywood and household lamps. Christopher Hanrahan attended the National Art School in 2002 receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts. In 2003 he received a BFA (Honours, First Class) from Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney.

Working as a figurative painter and drawer, Milsom is not unaware of the history he is working from. The challenges of painting today are a vital area of exploration for the artist. The paintings are often tightly cropped, expressionist in style and composed with a limited colour palette. The images emerge out of dark backgrounds and are muted and distorted creating psychologically powerful portraits. The drawings also focus on a singular subject, but portray buildings that represent physical spaces that have had a profound impact on the artist. Nigel Milsom received a Master of Fine Arts in 2002 from College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales.
Public Programs

Five NAS students awarded William Fletcher Foundation Grants

2007-05-31T15:45:00.000+10:00

Congratulations to National Art School students Steven Benwell, Kim Fasher, and Shannan Sainsbury (each awarded $1000). And to Alesandro Ljubicic and Kevin McKay (each awarded $3000).

The William Fletcher Foundation (formerly known as The William Fletcher Trust) awarded thirteen grants totalling $22,000 for 2007. Since 1988 a total of 280 grants have been awarded by the Foundation.

Richard Lewer ARTFORUM lecture

2007-05-01T16:34:00.000+10:00

Artist Richard Lewer who has been installing a huge drawing directly on the walls of the NAS gallery (see last post) is discussing his earlier works at 1pm, BLACK theatre, Wed 2 May - tomorrow. All welcome

Richard Lewer: It starts as an idle thought grows into an obsession

2007-04-24T16:28:00.000+10:00

Richard Lewer

Snowtown 2007

Richard Lewer is gaining a reputation in Australia and New Zealand as one of the foremost contemporary artists who has chosen drawing as his primary medium. His drawings cover a variety of unexpected surfaces including gallery walls, Formica tabletops, peg boards, aluminium sheets, venetian blinds as well as paper. The thematic presence of sport, illness, suburban life, crime, and urban myths make many of his subjects familiar with a personal, local context. These narratives explore the darker side of antipodean culture, unveiling both tragedy and an absurd comedy and revealing a type of anti-heroism that plays with notions of good and evil.

It starts as an idle thought grows into an obsession is a large-scale, site-specific wall drawing that explores society’s fear and fascination with crime and delves into the National Art School’s history as the former Darlinghurst Gaol. This work, the largest Lewer has ever created, will be installed directly on to the walls of the first floor of the Gallery. This will be Lewer’s first solo show in a public gallery in Sydney and the first NAS Gallery commission. The exhibition includes works on paper that relate to infamous Australian crimes and the social impact of the crime on the families and wider community. His wall drawing will focus on the transport ships that brought British criminals to Australia in the 18th Century.

The project also aims to open up the artist’s process by inviting the public and student community at the National Art School to meet with the artist and observe the actual creation of the wall drawing between 27 April and 2 May. The exhibition opening is on 3 May, 6-8pm.

Born in Hamilton, New Zealand in 1970 and currently living in Melbourne, Australia, Richard Lewer has exhibited widely in both countries. His recent exhibitions include Zonal Marx, VCA Margaret Lawrence Gallery, Melbourne (2007), Someone shows something to someone, Canberra Contemporary Art Centre, Canberra (2006) and Game on! Sport and contemporary art, Ian Potter Museum of Art, Melbourne as part of the 2006 Commonwealth Games Arts Festival.

Richard Lewer: It starts as an idle thought grows into an obsession

NAS Gallery

27 April – 26 May 2007

NAS Graduate Leslie Rice wins Doug Moran National Portrait Prize

2007-03-14T09:22:00.000+11:00

An Honours gaduate of 2006, Leslie Rice painted Self Portraiture 2007 on black velvet and was yesterday awarded the $100,000 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize for the work.

Congratulations to Les and also to NAS sessional lecturer John Beard, winner of the 2007 Archibald Prize.

NATIONAL ART SCHOOL DRAWING BREATH SYMPOSIUM

2007-02-15T10:35:00.000+11:00

50% OFF FOR CURRENT NAS STUDENTS

A fantastic opportunity to hear dynamic and diverse perspectives on drawing and its role in contemporary practice and art education

Register for the Drawing Breath Symposium now!
PLACES ARE LIMITED
contact 02 9339 8745 or email kate.quinn@det.nsw.edu.au for details

$150.00 standard $100 NAS Staff $75 NAS Students

Registration includes private viewing of the Drawing Breath exhibition and reception on Thursday, 29 March, refreshments, lunch, organised tours of the recently refurbished National Art School historic campus (site of the old Darlinghurst Gaol), open studios, and access to Freestyle: new Australian design for living, a collaboration between Melbourne Museum and Object Gallery, on view at the National Art School.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Professor ANITA TAYLOR RWA (UK): Artist, Head of College and Professor of Fine Art at Wimbledon College of Art, University of Arts, London & Director, Jerwood Drawing Prize

Professor STEPHEN FARTHING RA (UK): Artist, Author & Rootstein Hopkins Professor of Drawing at the University of Arts, London

SPEAKERS
A critical overview of the Drawing Breath exhibition will launch discussion on the relevance of drawing in contemporary practice, the importance of drawing as an educational resource and for artists, curators, educators, critics and writers to bring together current national and international opinions on the subject. Guests include:

BERNARD OLLIS (NSW): Artist & Director, National Art School
PAUL THOMAS (UK): Artist, Author & Co-Founder, Jerwood Drawing Prize
HENDRIK KOLENBERG (NSW): Senior Curator of Australian Prints, Drawings and Watercolours at the Art Gallery of New South Wales & Curator of the Dobell Prize for Drawing Professor
TED SNELL (WA): Chair of the Visual Arts Board, Australia Council & Dean of Art, Curtin University of Technology, Perth
MERRIN EIRTH (VIC): Artist & Head of Drawing at Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne GEOFFREY CASSIDY (NSW): Director of Artbank, the national contemporary art rental service from the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
MARC PASCAL (VIC): Artist & Product Designer featured in Freestyle: new Australian design for living
ANNE LOXLEY (NSW): Director of Penrith Regional Gallery, Writer & Critic
JANS SENBERGS (VIC): Artist
GREG CREEK (VIC): Artist & Lecturer (Sculpture) at RMIT, Melbourne
SIMON COOPER (NSW): Artist & Head of Printmaking, National Art School
WENDY SHARPE (NSW): Artist, Writer & previously the Australian Official Artist attached to the Australian Army History Unit in Dili, East Timor

DRAWING BREATH: 10 YEARS OF THE JERWOOD DRAWING PRIZE

2007-01-29T16:05:00.000+11:00

A Survey Exhibition of Contemporary British Drawing
Thursday 22 February – Friday 13 April 2007

Media Release
Monday, 29th January, 2007

Marking ten years of the Jerwood Drawing Prize (Britain’s distinguished annual open drawing exhibition), Drawing Breath provides a rare opportunity to view a collection of drawings from a range of artists currently working in the UK. This stimulating survey exhibition demonstrates the eclectic nature of subject matter, materials, composition, media and approaches that contemporary drawing practice embodies. The works on view reflect emphatically how the drawing medium offers an endless range of possibilities and a certain immediacy and intimacy.

The exhibition comprises 80 works selected from the Jerwood Drawing Prize from 1994-2006, including works by eminent artists such as Jason Brooks, Stephen Farthing RA, Dr Yvonne Crossley, Ken Currie, Adam Dant, Eileen Cooper, Tom Phillips RA as well as the best of emerging talent.

The National Art School runs a unique educational program in which drawing is a core subject in all years. The National Art School has partnered with the Wimbledon School of Art (now part of the University of the Arts, London) to present this anniversary exhibition. Both art Schools share synergies and emphasise drawing as a founding discipline in the study of visual arts.

“In the beginning there was drawing, and drawing is the basis for our civilisation and culture and for the young child drawing comes first. To paraphrase Picasso why is it that, we as adults hesitate whenwe are told to draw a chair but not when we speak it? The young child draws it without hesitation!” Bernard Ollis, Director NAS December 2006.

DRAWING BREATH is an important event on the National Art School Gallery’s 2007 international exhibition calendar and will open on Thursday 22 February and run until Friday 13 April 2007. The National Art School Gallery is the exclusive venue for DRAWING BREATH in Australia.

Accompanying the exhibition is a lively Public Program of lectures, floor talks and a symposium:

Exhibition Talk, 24 February 2007, 2pmIntroduction to the exhibition with Prof Anita Taylor and Paul Thomas, Co-Curators of Drawing Breath, free admission

Lecture, What Drawing May Be, 12 March 2007, 6pm Catherine de Zegher, Curator and Art Historian (former Executive Director of the Drawing Center, New York), free admission. Presented in association with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney

Symposium, 29 - 31 March 2007, 10am – 5pm
Bringing together artists, academics, industry professionals and the public to explore a range of issues concerning drawing in contemporary practice today. Bookings essential.

High School students will be encouraged to visit the exhibition and participate in the associated public programs.

DRAWING BREATH
Location: National Art School Gallery National Art School Forbes St Darlinghurst
Dates: Thursday 22 February – Friday 13 April 2007
Opening: 6:00pm Wednesday 21 February 2007
Times: 10:00am – 4:00pm (Closed Sundays & Public Holidays)
Phone: 02 9339 8744

Media Contact: Katie Dyer, Curator/Gallery Manager T: (02) 9339 8758
katie.dyer@det.nsw.edu.au

NOTES FOR EDITORS
1. ABOUT THE NATIONAL ART SCHOOL: The National Art School is the longest continuing art school in Australia and has impressive alumni of acclaimed Australian artists including John Coburn AO, Fiona Hall, Colin Lanceley AO, Jeffrey Smart AO, Margaret Olley AC, AO, John Olsen AO, OBE, and J Martin Sharp.

Located in the historic sandstone surrounds of the old Darlinghurst Gaol, the National Art School offers Bachelor of Fine Art, BFA Honours, Master of Fine Art (Research) and short courses in the visual arts.The NAS Gallery is housed in the former A-Wing of the old gaol. Originally built between 1836-41, the building was refurbished and opened to the public in 2006.

The NAS Gallery encourages appreciation and critical perspectives of art and its role in society through direct engagement with artists and original works of art. NAS Gallery Opening hours: Monday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm.

2. PROFESSOR ANITA TAYLOR RWA Drawing is fundamental to Anita Taylor's practice as a painter. She has exhibited widely in Europe and Australia and is the Director of the Jerwood Drawing Prize, which she initiated as the Open Drawing Exhibition at Cheltenham in 1994. She was Artist-in-Residence at Durham Cathedral, Cheltenham Fellow in Painting and Artist-in Residence in Drawing at the National Art School Sydney. Awards include the Malvern Award for Drawing, the Hunting Art Prize, the Hunting Art Prizes Award for Drawing and the Major Award in the Cheltenham Open Drawing. She is Vice Principal andProfessor of Fine Art at Wimbledon School of Art, a member of the AHRC Peer-Review College and sub-panel 63 for Art and Design in the RAE2008.

3. PAUL THOMAS RWA Paul Thomas is an Artist and Co-founder of the Jerwood Drawing Prize. His art practice is far-reaching, having exhibited in England, Scotland, France, Germany, Switzerland and Australia. Paul has extensive experience in art education, most recently as the Head of Painting at the University of Gloucestershire. Paul is the author of artist’s books such as The Millennium Bestiary and The Iliad & The Odyssey, he co –authored the textbook Drawing (with Anita Taylor), and his drawings feature in academic textbooks published in the UK, France and USA.

Supported by THE BRITISH COUNCIL

NEW TASKFORCE TO PLAN FUTURE FOR NATIONAL ART SCHOOL

2007-01-29T10:36:00.000+11:00

Wednesday, 24 January 2007

MEDIA RELEASE

Education Minister Carmel Tebbutt today announced the NSW Government was terminating the Expression of Interest process for the transfer of the National Art School (NAS) to a university

“A taskforce will be established to provide advice to the Government on options to maintain the integrity of the School’s artistic and educational philosophy and enhance its long term financial viability.”

“Securing the School’s future will be the taskforce’s priority,” Ms Tebbutt said.

“The Government is committed to the NAS and its important role in providing first class training to future artists.

“This unique institution has a proud history dating back almost 150 years, providing an environment where artists of international renown have honed their skills and talents,” Ms Tebbutt said.

The Task Force will investigate and report on:

Options for securing the ongoing financial viability of the National Art School;
Options for the National Art School’s future governance arrangements including the possibility of establishing the National Art School as a stand alone educational institution;
Options for the use, including commercial use, of the under-utilised or unoccupied buildings on the site, having regard to the site’s heritage value.

The Task Force will be led by Sandra Yates AO, Chair of the Sydney Writers Festival and Chair of the NSW TAFE Commission, and include representation from the NAS as well as relevant government agencies, including Arts NSW.

The Taskforce will report on options for the future of the NAS by the end of the year.

“I am sure that students, staff and the artistic community will continue to support and promote this outstanding and unique institution,” Ms Tebbutt said.

National Art School Prizes 2006

2006-12-08T11:19:00.000+11:00

Art School Ball Drawing Prizes
1st year Gail Jackson
2nd Year Stephen Benwell
The John Olsen Highly Commended Drawing Prize
Troy Quinliven
Blankcanvas Award
Stephen Benwell
Friends of the NAS Prizes
1st Year student : Matilda Michell
2nd year students :
Maran Clark
Justin Cooper
Rhianna Wessels
Georgina Hathway
Alice Stokes
Robert Baird
Amanda Coulston
Australian Institute of Health & Welfare
Kevin McKay
Georgina Hathway
Stephen Benwell
Madeleine Riisfeldt

Final year BFA prizes
Art History & Theory
Keith Climpson
Ceramics Art & Perception Prize
Huey Ling Teo
Janet Mansfield Ceramic Award
Clarissa Regan
The Inner City Clayworkers Gallery Student Award show
Kathryn Dickson
Sydney Olympic Park Residency – Ceramics
(Four week residency at Sydney Olympic Park)
Keiko Matsui
Australian Ceramics Directory Award
Eugenie Spiteri
The Journal of Australian Ceramics Award
Lyndall Hill
Mura Clay Solo Exhibition Award
Sarah O’Sullivan
Mura Clay Gallery Award (group exhibition)
Kathryn Dickson
Huey Ling Teo
Eugenie Spiteri
Reuben Michaelis-Brand
N.E. Pethebridge Awards
Sarah O’Sullivan
Eugenie Spiteri
ADFAS Award ($1000 )
Kathryn Dickson
Art School Ball Prize for Drawing ($1000)
Rebecca Pearson
The John Olsen Drawing Prize ($1,000)
Fareed Haddad
The John Olsen Highly Commended Drawing Prize
($1000 split with a 2nd Year student)
Rebecca Pearson
The Lab Photography Prize
Louise Spence
NAVA Photography Award
Erez Ben-Or
The Kayell Photography Prize
Erez Ben-Or
The Joel Corrigan Memorial Photography Award ($1,000)
Emma Thomson
Sydney Olympic Park Residency – Printmaking
Tara Ubaldi
The Van Ogtrop Printmaking Award
Lauren Murphy
The Stella Downer Printmaking Award
James Peck
Sydney Olympic Park Residencies – Sculpture
Michael Marris
Bernadette Jones
The Julian Beaumont Sculpture Prize ($5,000)
Kate Stehr
The Sydney Art Cooperative Studio Award
Adele Merdjanic
Clare Flanagan
Sydney Olympic Park Residency – Painting
Osnat Almog
William Fletcher Trust Award
Michelle Heldon
Chroma Paints Award
Kathryn Cowen
Parkers Sydney Fine Art Supplies Award ($1000 for materials)
Emma Cummings
Parkers Sydney Fine Art Framing Award ($1000 for framing)
Keith Climpson
St Vincent’s Hospital FONAS Exhibition Award
Genevieve Harnett
The Reg Richardson Travelling Scholarship ($2500)
Agnes Tyson
The Paris Studio Residency
Anne-Laure Druais

The Clitheroe Foundation Honours Painting Scholarship 2007
An extraordinarily generous scholarship of $20,000 to support an exceptional student to undertake Honours at the NAS
Jane Sandford

Job opportunities available for part time Visiting Artists for 2007

2006-11-30T10:34:00.000+11:00

Studio based artists/tutors required to pursue their art and contribute to National Art School academic programs. Up to 4 positions in the following disciplines: Drawing, Painting, Photography, Ceramics, Sculpture, Printmaking, Cross-media.

For further details or information on how to apply please contact Ravella Irving, Human Resources Officer, on 02 9339 8702 or by email ravella.irving@det.nsw.edu.au. Applications close 15 December 2006.

Josh Heath wins Qantas Spirit of Youth award - again!

2006-11-17T10:01:00.000+11:00

Congratulations to 2005 NAS Hons Photography graduate Josh Heath on winning the Photography section of the Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards for the second year in a row.

See http://www.soya.com.au and click on Photography for a sample of his work.

Rod Smith finalist in Paddington Art Prize

2006-11-17T09:48:00.000+11:00

NAS Painting department's Rod Smith is a finalist in the Paddington Art Prize - congratulations Rod!

Rodney Pople wins Redlands Art Prize

2006-11-17T09:31:00.000+11:00

Congratulations to NAS Painting lecturer Rodney Pople on winning the 2006 Redlands Westpac Art Prize.

DEGREE SHOW 06

2006-11-16T17:15:00.000+11:00

Work by Final year students majoring in ceramics, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture

To be opened by Tim Storrier
On Thursday 30 November at 6pm in the Cell Block Theatre

Exhibition continues until Thursday 7 December
11.00 am – 5.00 pm (closed Sunday)

NAS Gallery
Project Space (Building 25)
The Chapel (Building 28)
The Cell Block Theatre
The Kennal
Drawing Studio (Building 5)

National Art School mourns loss of Australia’s eminent abstractionist, John Coburn AO

2006-11-08T11:10:00.000+11:00

John Coburn AO who was Australia’s most eminent abstract painter leaves behind a legacy of being a major artistic figure and contributor to the history of the visual arts in Australia.

Born in Ingham, Queensland, Coburn left school at 14. He worked in a bank before serving in the navy during World War II and in 1947, Coburn’s artistic ambitions were nearly thwarted when he arrived in Sydney a week too late for the entrance test to study drawing and painting at the then East Sydney Technical College, now the National Art School.

Fortunately, a sympathetic lecturer looked over Coburn’s drawings, a series inspired by Australian WWII artist, Frank Norton. Coburn was immediately accepted on the merit of his drawings alone and coincidently, that sympathetic lecturer was indeed the artist Frank Norton himself.

Coburn studied art at the National Art School and went on to become a lecturer and then Principal of the National Art School from 1972-74.

In 2004 the NAS invited him to become a Fellow, along with Peter Rushforth (2003) and Colin Lanceley (2002).

“Coburn, one of Australia’s most significant artists was a much-loved individual and teacher at the NAS. We mourn his passing and send our sympathy and support to his family and to his daughter Kristin who is now a graduating student here at the School,” says Geoff Ireland Acting Director, National Art School.

Coburn’s influences were many and varied. In 1953, he saw an exhibition of modern French paintings and became "a committed abstractionist". His work was also informed by the Renaissance religious paintings, indigenous art and nature. Coburn’s distinctive use of glowing colour, form and shape in such a sustained fashion culminated in his own decorative and distinctive style.

One of Coburn’s better known commissions was his design of the great tapestry curtains for the Sydney Opera House - Curtain of the Sun and Curtain of the Moon (shown above).

HONOURS SHOW 06

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View the outstanding artwork of the 23 graduating Honours Students from 2006

To be opened by John Olsen OBE
On Thursday 2 November at 6.00pm
National Art School Gallery

Exhibition continues until Thursday 9 November
11.00am – 5.00pm (closed Sunday)

NAS Gallery, Project Space (Building 25), Gardens, Building 22 & Building 5

DRAWCARD 06

2006-10-16T11:13:00.000+10:00

The NAS small canvas fundraising exhibition where all artworks sell for $250.

Opening: 6pm Thursday 19 October
Preview: 11am-6pm Wednesday 18 & Thursday 19 October

Exhibition continues until Thursday 26 October (excluding Sunday) 11am-5pm in the National Art School Gallery.

Artwork by Elizabeth Cummings

Welcome

2006-10-13T12:45:00.000+10:00

We have developed this blog with the aim of providing timely information to students, staff and the public on National Art School events, courses and people. Posts will include details of upcoming exhibitions, Art Forum lectures, special events and much more.