Call out for contributions
Are you a former student, or family member of someone who has studied or taught at the National Art School or East Sydney Technical College? Do you know someone who was incarcerated in Darlinghurst Gaol, or who worked on the transformation from gaol to art school? Do you have archival material that relates specifically to any part of our history, such as the buildings, or events that took place here? If so, we would be very interested to hear from you.
In 2022, the National Art School commemorated two important milestones in its history: the 100-year anniversary of our location in Darlinghurst, as well as the 200-year anniversary of the construction of the Darlinghurst Gaol walls (1822), which can still be seen today with their original convict markings.
To celebrate this significant moment in time, NAS held a major exhibition ‘Captivate: the National Art School and Darlinghurst Gaol’ primarily sourced from the extensive National Art School Collection. As a result, many new objects, artworks and archival materials were donated to the collection, and people also contributed their stories about the gaol and the art school (formerly part of East Sydney Technical College). We are still seeking to broaden the information available in our archives and collection.
We are keen to see images or copies of any historical objects or documents relating to the school and the site, including photos, artworks, diplomas, class lists, handbooks and gaol documents and artefacts, as well as typed stories of your memories of experiences or events connected to the school at any point in its history.
Please send contributions to:
Deborah Beck
Lecturer, Archivist and Collections Manager
+61 2 9339 8674
[email protected]
Sonia Legge
Curator, Collections
+61 2 9339 8796
[email protected]
For more about the NAS Archive and Collection see nas.edu.au/nas-archive-and-collection
Introducing Dominic Terlizzi and Osvaldo Budet, speakers at Facture: Drawing Symposium 2025
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Moderated by Joe Frost, Dominic and Osvaldo will discuss transformations and voids found in objects and history through expanded drawing approaches.
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Dominic Terlizzi is a Brooklyn based artist whose studio work includes drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation. He utilises objects and textures to build imagery. Dominic recently exhibited at Craig Krull Gallery and Helen J Gallery in LA, My Pet Ram, Tappeto Volante, Field of Play, The Front, Good Naked, Underdonk, and Headstone Gallery in New York. International exhibitions include McBride Contemporian in Montreal, and NEVVEN Gallery in Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Osvaldo Budet is a Puerto Rican artist and graduate of Maryland Institute College of Art, where he completed his Master of Fine Arts in painting. He currently lectures in drawing at the National Art School, Sydney and is represented by Cassandra Bird, Sydney. His work explores the physical and political dimensions of colonization and post-colonization, as a reflection of the culture and the interests of the systems we inhabit.
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Facture: Drawing Symposium 2025
Saturday 12 April 2025
Facture – The manner in which something is made
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Learn more about the speakers and symposium at the link in bio.
Mar 25
Facture – the manner in which something is made
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Join us Saturday 12 April for the 2025 Drawing Symposium at the National Art School, presented by the National Centre for Drawing. Featuring a diverse range of national and international speakers, as well as associated performances and exhibitions, this event is held in conjunction with the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize. The symposium will explore the theme of Facture, a concept that emphasises an artwork’s tangible reality as an intentionally crafted object, linking the act of creation directly to its physical presence. Considering an artwork in terms of its facture reveals it as a record of the artist’s decisions, methods, and materials. Discussions will examine how this concept enriches our understanding of drawing and aligns with contemporary and interdisciplinary approaches to art-making.
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Learn more and buy tickets at the link in bio.
Mar 19
Opening night and winner announcement: 24th Dobell Drawing Prize
Join us on Thursday 10 April for the opening night of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, Australia’s leading prize for drawing, and an unparalleled celebration of technique, innovation and expanded practice. The winner will be announced at 6:30pm.
Presented at the National Art School in partnership with the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, this biennial exhibition continues to highlight the enduring relevance and changing role of drawing within contemporary art practice. The winning work enters the National Art School’s significant collection, built over the past 120 years.
This 24th edition is curated by Lucy Latella and showcases the work of 56 finalists, selected from 965 nationwide entries by judging panel Vernon Ah Kee, Dr Yolunda Hickman and Paula Latos-Valier AM.
RSVP at the link in bio.
Mar 13
Our academic year kicked off with Drawing Week, a program of drawing intensive workshops for our 2nd and 3rd year BFA students.
At the @sydneyoperahouse workshop, led by Drawing Lecturer Tango Conway, students were invited to experiment and expand their practice in an environment rarely open to the public.
Learn more about the BFA program at the link in bio.
Mar 9
The National Art School was proud to launch our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and First Peoples Centre Darani Ngalawada last night.
The RAP articulates our commitment to strengthening relationships between Australia’s First Peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, acknowledging the truth and ongoing impact of colonisation, while cultivating a positive future together through education.
NAS always was, always will be on unceded Gadigal Land.
To read our RAP, visit nas.edu.au.
Mar 7
