Corona Quilt unites students, staff and alumni during Covid

Corona Quilt unites students, staff and alumni during Covid

2020-10-02

During Sydney’s lockdown in March, when the NAS campus closed, second-year students Rani Matthews and Anna Mould initiated a community craft project, called the Corona Quilt, inviting other students working in isolation to create their own quilt square on the theme of COVID-19 crisis. When the students were able to come together again, the squares would be sewn together to create a group artwork and momento of this strange and difficult time. The quilt would become a material platform for making meaning and building connections at a time when human communication had shifted to the digital realm.

Students, staff and alumni of the National Art School have participated in this virtual quilting bee, creating quilt squares responding to the health, economic and social crises caused by the pandemic. Anna and Rani are leading the final stage of the project, sewing the squares together, and the finished quilt will be shown during Sydney Craft Week at the East Sydney Doctors display window opposite the National Art School.

Anna and Rani, with their lecturers Dr Molly Duggins and Dr Priya Vaughan who have assisted with the project, will participate in an accompanying Art Forum talk via Zoom for Sydney Craft Week. They will discuss quilt-making as a historically rich, tactile language of form used to document everyday experience, commemorate significant personal and public events, and raise awareness of topical political issues.

Corona Quilt Sydney Craft Week Exhibition
Friday 9 October – Sunday 18 October, East Sydney Doctors display window, 102 Burton Street, Darlinghurst (opposite the National Art School)

Corona Quilt Art Forum Talk
Wednesday 14 October, 12.30-1.30pm via Zoom, join at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82573642835
For more information see coronaquiltnas.wordpress.com and sydneycraftweek.com

We are seeking candidates with strong experience in the areas of extensive audit, governance or philanthropy experience, and strong art and education sector knowledge to join the National Art School Board of Directors.

Our mission is to be a centre of excellence for the provision of higher education and research, scholarship and professional practice in the visual arts and related fields. Members of the Board play a vital role in long-term strategic planning and providing expert advice and support to the shareholding members and Director (CEO) on any matter relating to the school.

Visit I work for NSW website to express your interest (link in bio).

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Jun 18

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We are seeking candidates with strong experience in the areas of extensive audit, governance or philanthropy experience, and strong art and education sector knowledge to join the National Art School Board of Directors.

Our mission is to be a centre of excellence for the provision of higher education and research, scholarship and professional practice in the visual arts and related fields. Members of the Board play a vital role in long-term strategic planning and providing expert advice and support to the shareholding members and Director (CEO) on any matter relating to the school.

Visit I work for NSW website to express your interest (link in bio).

A new student-led, artist-run initiative joined our campus!

‘Pinpoint’ student collective (@nas_pinpoint) reactivates the notice boards outside Building 27 printmaking facility with micro-exhibitions of student work, offering students a chance to share their practice in a low-pressure, highly visible way within the student community.

Artwork by @jubohlephoto
Supported by @nas_src_official & @cafe.nas

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Jun 17

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A new student-led, artist-run initiative joined our campus!

‘Pinpoint’ student collective (@nas_pinpoint) reactivates the notice boards outside Building 27 printmaking facility with micro-exhibitions of student work, offering students a chance to share their practice in a low-pressure, highly visible way within the student community.

Artwork by @jubohlephoto
Supported by @nas_src_official & @cafe.nas

`Being at NAS, they were the best three years of my life so far` (Rosemary Lee, NAS Alumna 2018)

This end of financial year, support the next generation of artists through the National Art School’s Pathways Program.

Your donation will be vital in helping us build a more inclusive and vibrant arts community — creating crucial pathways for talented artists to become leading international artists, regardless of their background.

Visit link in bio to find out what your donation today could achieve tomorrow.

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Jun 16

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'Being at NAS, they were the best three years of my life so far' (Rosemary Lee, NAS Alumna 2018)

This end of financial year, support the next generation of artists through the National Art School’s Pathways Program.

Your donation will be vital in helping us build a more inclusive and vibrant arts community — creating crucial pathways for talented artists to become leading international artists, regardless of their background.

Visit link in bio to find out what your donation today could achieve tomorrow.

We are delighted to announce Margaret Ambridge`s work `Cheek by jowl` (2024) as the winner of the People’s Choice Award for the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize. A huge congratulations to Margaret, who also won the People`s Choice Award for the 23rd Dobell Drawing Prize in 2023.

Margaret shares:

‘My primary practice is drawing. To have three very different, some say demanding, works exploring the human condition accepted for the Dobell Drawing Prize over the years is such a rare privilege and wonderful recognition of my artwork. For many years I have struggled with drawing’s place in my art practice. To me there always seems to be an external pressure suggesting that drawing is a pathway to something ‘bigger’ like a painting or a sculpture. The longevity and gravitas of the Dobell demands that drawing be seen as the final work in its own right. It’s been a long journey from drawing at the kitchen table as a child with my mother, an artist in her own right.’

See Margaret`s winning work in this final week of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize at NAS Gallery, closing Saturday 21 June 2025.

Plan your visit at the link in bio.
—
Opening night of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, National Art School Gallery, Sydney, 2025, image courtesy and © the artists and National Art School, photograph: Nicole Anderson; Margaret Ambridge, ‘Cheek by jowl’, 2024, charcoal and rainwater on paper, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Mark Fitz-Gerald

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Jun 13

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We are delighted to announce Margaret Ambridge's work 'Cheek by jowl' (2024) as the winner of the People’s Choice Award for the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize. A huge congratulations to Margaret, who also won the People's Choice Award for the 23rd Dobell Drawing Prize in 2023.

Margaret shares:

‘My primary practice is drawing. To have three very different, some say demanding, works exploring the human condition accepted for the Dobell Drawing Prize over the years is such a rare privilege and wonderful recognition of my artwork. For many years I have struggled with drawing’s place in my art practice. To me there always seems to be an external pressure suggesting that drawing is a pathway to something ‘bigger’ like a painting or a sculpture. The longevity and gravitas of the Dobell demands that drawing be seen as the final work in its own right. It’s been a long journey from drawing at the kitchen table as a child with my mother, an artist in her own right.’

See Margaret's winning work in this final week of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize at NAS Gallery, closing Saturday 21 June 2025.

Plan your visit at the link in bio.
—
Opening night of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, National Art School Gallery, Sydney, 2025, image courtesy and © the artists and National Art School, photograph: Nicole Anderson; Margaret Ambridge, ‘Cheek by jowl’, 2024, charcoal and rainwater on paper, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Mark Fitz-Gerald

Join us to celebrate the opening of `The Neighbour at the Gate` at the National Art School Gallery on Thursday 10 July.

The exhibition features new works by Jacky Cheng, Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson, Dennis Golding (Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay), Jenna Mayilema Lee (Gulumerridjin (Larrakia), Wardaman, KarraJarri), James Nguyen and James Tylor (Kaurna, Thura-Yura language region).

Visit the exhibition page for full artwork captions and details (link in bio).

`The Neighbour at the Gate` is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its Blockbusters Funding initiative.

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Jun 12

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Join us to celebrate the opening of 'The Neighbour at the Gate' at the National Art School Gallery on Thursday 10 July.

The exhibition features new works by Jacky Cheng, Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson, Dennis Golding (Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay), Jenna Mayilema Lee (Gulumerridjin (Larrakia), Wardaman, KarraJarri), James Nguyen and James Tylor (Kaurna, Thura-Yura language region).

Visit the exhibition page for full artwork captions and details (link in bio).

'The Neighbour at the Gate' is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its Blockbusters Funding initiative.

NAS Alum Juz Kitson (@juz_kitson) is known for her emotionally charged, biomorphic sculptures that combine porcelain with organic materials.

See her extraordinary work now on view in her current solo exhibition `Unfolding Earth` at @cassandrabird.gallery. `Unfolding Earth` continues until 14 June.

Join Kitson for her ceramics masterclass on experimental porcelain at the National Art School 28-29 June. Book at the link in bio - limited places available.
—
Images courtesy of CASSANDRA BIRD, photo by Laura Moore.

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Jun 6

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Corona Quilt unites students, staff and alumni during Covid