2019 Graduation and Fellowship Announcement

The annual National Art School Graduation ceremony was held on Thursday 23 May for our completing Bachelor and Master of Fine Art students. Also honoured were the 2019 recipients of National Art School Fellowships Roslyn Oxley OAM and Wendy Whiteley OAM and Distinguished Service Recipients Jim Croke, Jill McKay and Glenda McLoughlin. The 2019 Fellows were honoured at a celebratory dinner on Thursday 23 May 2019, held at the National Art School in a gallery space that was once the studio of celebrated Australian sculptor and NAS teacher, Rayner Hoff.

“My decision to persuade my parents to leave school at the age of 15 was fully vindicated when I joined East Sydney Tech as the National Art School was known then. A whole new world opened up for me that was stimulating, useful and rewarding. This was the
beginning of my professional life.” – Roslyn Oxley, 2019

“I had to run away from home to go to art school, my parents were worried about me being a starving artist and not finishing high school properly, but it was an exciting start of a new life for me. I loved my teachers, John Passmore and Lyndon Dadswell, but I left to support Brett, then later went back at night to study interior design. I don’t think you can be taught to be an artist, but you can be taught the techniques you need. Art school is a great place to grow up.” – Wendy Whiteley, 2019