Prudence MacLeod Prize Announcement

Prudence MacLeod Prize Announcement

The National Art School is delighted to announce rising multi-disciplinary artist Anna Mould as the first ever winner of a prestigious international artist residency program, the Prudence MacLeod Prize, located at Acme Fire Station Studios, London.

One of the most significant international residency programs in Australia, the Prudence MacLeod Prize supported by the Lansdowne Foundation, provides an unparalleled opportunity for an emerging artist at the precipice of their artistic career, who has recently graduated from NAS, to immerse themselves in London, one of the world’s most vibrant and diverse artistic communities.

The residency, spanning a period of six months, provides a dedicated studio space and accommodation at Acme’s Fire Station building located in the heart of London, international flights and a stipend to cover living expenses during the residency period. With a focus on pastoral care, a new Residency Program Coordinator based at the National Art School will support the artist in the lead up to their residency and work in liaison with Acme’s Artist support officers during their time in London.

As the inaugural Prudence MacLeod Prize winner, Anna Mould will join an artist community, with space and support to develop her artistic practice and expand her professional international networks. She will also have the opportunity to showcase her work in a public outcome at the end of the program.

Since graduating with a Master of Fine Art from National Art School last year, Anna Mould has been a 2024 Archibald Prize finalist, held her first solo exhibition at Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, and exhibited at Sydney Contemporary with Praxis Artspace, Adelaide.

Engaging with a range of media including embroidery, painting, weaving and photography, Anna Mould’s practice explores complex social, cultural and political themes. Using a technique akin to collage, she creates visual and conceptual juxtapositions between historical and contemporary references, that aim to conjure an acknowledgement of one’s location in time and space as a part of greater global human history. Recurring themes in her work include; hierarchies of fine art and decorative art; the gendered associations of textile art; and the ways in which certain artforms have been used to express specific political ideas.

Image credit: Anna Mould, ‘The Damned, Tambaroora NSW’, 2023, machine embroidery and acrylic on canvas, 50 x 50 cm
#Follow us on Instagram
Art Club is our high school student program for 15-17 year olds, designed to enhance and extend students’ technical, conceptual, and intellectual skills, through intensive practical study in the disciplines offered at NAS as well as engaging in an experience of our studios and campus, under the expert direction of experienced artists.

Set your child on a creative path with Art Club. 

Learn more at the link in bio.
Thank you to everyone who attended the opening night of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize and congratulations again to the prize winner NAS alumna Rosemary Lee.

The 24th Dobell Drawing Prize is now open until Saturday 21 June 2025
11am – 5pm Monday to Saturday 
NAS Gallery 
Free admission, all welcome

Learn more about the exhibition at the link in bio.
We are delighted to announce NAS alumna Rosemary Lee as the winner of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, Australia’s leading prize for drawing, worth $30,000.

Selected from 56 nationwide finalists, and 965 entries, Rosemary’s work will become part of the National Art School’s significant collection, built over the past 120 years. Rosemary, in her winning work 24-1 (2024), observes tonal and compositional profundity in everyday life.

The judging panel comprising acclaimed First Nations artist Vernon Ah Kee, Paula Latos-Valier AM, Trustee and Art Director of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, and Dr Yolunda Hickman, Head of Postgraduate Studies, National Art School, commented of Rosemary’s work: “The decision to award the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize to Rosemary Lee for the work ‘24-1’ was unanimous. We were most impressed by the level of visual intensity the artist has achieved in this work both through its vibrant colour and in the extraordinary detail of the composition. The artwork’s exploration of the urban landscape and gentrification of the Sydney suburbs of Ashfield and Summer Hill, has produced an image capturing a broader sense of transience and the omnipresence of construction sites in our cities today. It questions the cultural and historical value of place, through the lens of the artist’s personal connection.” 

See Lee’s work alongside the work of the other finalists in the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, 11 April – 21 June 2025, NAS Gallery
—
Left to right: NAS Director and CEO, Dr Kristen Sharp with artist Rosemary Lee, featuring winning artwork 24–1, 2024, pencil on paper, image courtesy the artist and National Art School Gallery © the artist, photograph: Peter Morgan
Introducing the National Art School Short Courses Program from July–December 2025

Whether you’re a beginner, rediscovering a past passion, refining your skills, or considering our Fine Arts degree, the short courses offer a stimulating and rewarding experience for all levels.

Our 2025 program begins in July with Winter School, followed by Term Three, Spring Weekend Workshops in September, and Term Four in October.

Learn more and enrol at the link in bio.
Making Sound is a performance event featuring four artists who make devices that make sound, including Gary Warner, Pia van Gelder, Ben Denham and Sean O’Connell, presented following Facture: Drawing Symposium 2025, Saturday 12 April 5-6pm. 

Gary Warner creates an improvised soundfield with his ‘aleatoric ensemble’ autonomous sound machines, a collection of modified turntables that spin ad-hoc bric-a-brac assemblages.

Pia van Gelder (pictured) amplifies an electronic circuit as it is built in real-time. Under the moniker of “PvG sans PCB,” in these performances, van Gelder works on a breadboard with electronic components and additional found objects to demonstrate the electronic variabilities produced in the material world.

Ben Denham and Sean O’Connell perform together with handmade synthesizer systems that sense and sonify barometric pressure and the flow of electrons through matter.

Purchase your tickets to the symposium at the link in bio.
—
Pia van Gelder, 'sans PCB', 2021, performance, Collings Creative, image courtesy and © the artist
Loading...