Captivate: The National Art School and Darlinghurst Gaol

*please note this event has moved to FRIDAY 23 September due to the public holiday 

Susan Rothwell AM, Chair, National Art School Board of Directors and

Steven Alderton, Director and CEO, National Art School

warmly invite you and your guest to the official Opening Night of

The exhibitions

CAPTIVATE: The National Art School and Darlinghurst Gaol

With accompanying major publication

Captivate is an exciting program of exhibitions and activities across our heritage-listed campus that explores the rich legacy of stories from the National Art School (NAS) and the former Darlinghurst Gaol, and acknowledges the Gadigal Peoples of the Eora Nations’ continuing connection to the NAS site with First Peoples stories and perspectives. 

Captivate marks a significant double centenary: 200 years since building began in 1822 on the gaol’s tall sandstone walls, and 100 years since the art school moved into the site in 1922. The exhibition, public programs and a new book reveal and respond to the incredible stories and events that have taken place here, and the many people including infamous inmates such as bushrangers Captain Moonlite and Captain Starlight, and generations of Australia’s most significant artists who have studied and worked here over the past 100 years. 

Many historic items and artworks never seen before in public will be on show, including new donations to the NAS Archive and Collection, from artworks by prisoners who showed remarkable talent, to the original revolver wielded by a prison governor in the 1800s, to contemporary responses to the site by famous alumni. Captivate is a celebration and exploration of this extraordinary site in the middle of Sydney. Always on Gadigal land, it transformed from a place of incarceration and misery into a dynamic hub of learning, imagination, and inspiration, now an oasis of art and creativity open to everyone. We look forward to sharing our stories with you. 

Please advise us at marketing@​nas.​edu.​au if you have special needs regarding access.