Georgia Saxelby awarded Samstag Scholarship

Georgia Saxelby awarded Samstag Scholarship

Congratulations to NAS alumna Georgia Saxelby, who has been awarded a 2019 Anne & Gordon Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarship! Georgia’s participatory practice engages with issues of public social space, collective ritual behaviour and notions of sacred space in both ancient and contemporary cultures, and this year has presented her solo travelling exhibition, To Future Women at a number of cultural institutions in the US, including the Hirschhorn Museum. With the Samstag scholarship, Georgia plans to continue to study and research in the United States.

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About the scholarship

The Samstag Scholarships were established in 1991 through the generous bequest of the late Gordon Samstag, an American artist who taught from 1961 to 1970 at the South Australian School of Art, now the School of Art, Architecture and Design, a part of the University of South Australia.

Gordon Samstag’s will provided funds for awarding annual scholarships enabling Australian visual artists to study and develop their artistic capacities, skills and talents outside Australia. This remarkable gift ranks as one of the very great bequests to visual arts education in Australia.

Samstag Scholarships are administered by the University of South Australia through the Samstag Museum of Art, on behalf of Gordon Samstag’s United States-based trustee, the Bank of America. 142 Samstag Scholarships have been awarded to date.

More information

 

Image: Georgia Saxelby, Lullaby (still from video performance), 2017, in collaboration with Viva Soudan and Bailey Nolan. Photo: Kristin Adair.

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We are pleased to share the exciting news that we are introducing a new BFA (Hons) degree at the National Art School in 2026.

The Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) is an intensive one-year program designed for graduates of the BFA who are ready to deepen their studio practice and expand their academic and professional capabilities. This course is ideal for emerging artists who want to refine their practice, build industry connections, and prepare for postgraduate study or professional opportunities in the creative sector.

New scholarships will be available to students entering the BFA (Hons), with further details to be shared later this year. For more information and key dates, visit futurestudents.nas.edu.au (link in bio).
Join us for free 18+ concert 'Afterglow' – The Neighbour at the Gate exhibition closing party.

Headlined by Miss Kaninna, the event features performances by HYLANDER, Rocky Stallone, BRINA, Kuya Hennessy, and DJ Court Jester. RSVP today as tickets are going fast!

Afterglow 
Thursday 16 October 
Doors: 4.30pm
Concert starts: 7.00pm
Cell Block Theatre, National Art School

Please note: if the Cell Block reaches capacity, you’re welcome to enjoy the concert from the courtyard until space opens up inside. Food trucks and pop up bar.

FREE ADMISSION, RSVP is essential due to limited capacity (link in bio)
Congratulations to NAS Short Courses Painting Lecturer Michelle Hiscock (@michellelouisemariehiscock) for winning the 2025 Portia Geach Memorial Award with her work, 'The Weather Watcher after Zurbarán'. 

The Portia Geach Memorial Award is the pre-eminent portraiture prize for women in Australia, established by Florence Kate Geach in memory of her sister in 1965. 

An exhibition of all finalists’ works is open for public viewing at the S.H. Ervin Gallery (@shervingallery) in The Rocks, Sydney, from Friday 19 September until Sunday 2 November.

Visit shop.nas.edu.au (link in bio) to book now for Term 4 Short Courses. Summer School Short Courses in January 2026 will open for booking from Friday 3 October. 

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Michelle Hiscock, 'The Weather Watcher after Zurbarán', 2025, oil on linen, 50 x 40 cm, courtesy of the artist and the S.H. Ervin Gallery (The Rocks, Sydney)
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