The Festival of Drawing at National Art School
Drawing is an indispensable way of looking, thinking and taking action in art that is reinvented by each generation across wildly different terrains. Now we seize the moment to celebrate, question and expand what drawing is right now.
Symposium, exhibitions, talks, workshops, classes and special events.
SYMPOSIUM
DATE: Friday 29 March 2019, 9am–5pm
LOCATION: Cell Block Theatre
REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Mike Parr
SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Joyce Hinterding, Hendrik Kolenberg, Sarina Noordhuis-Fairfax, Luke Thurgate, Ben Denham, Chelsea Lehmann, Li Wenmin and Fran O’Neill.
Drawing stands in a pivotal place within contemporary art. An action, a process, sometimes a fully realised thing: it is re-invented by each generation because it continues to be indispensable to artists across many terrains. This symposium will engage with and investigate what that means to us as it examines the shape of drawing in Australia in 2019. Mike Parr will present the keynote address, followed by a day of talk and discussion focussed on practicing artists and drawing. An afternoon screening will showcase selected animations from Sydney and around the world.
EXHIBITION
Dobell Drawing Prize #21
LOCATION: NAS Gallery
EXHIBITION DATES: 27 March – 25 May 2019
OPENING NIGHT: Wednesday 27 March from 6pm
OPENING HOURS: Monday – Saturday, 11am–5pm
Finalists:
Badra Aji – VIC, Tony Albert – NSW, Leonie Andrews – ACT, Suzanne Archer – NSW, Martin Bell – VIC, M. Bozzec – NSW, Michelle Caithness – VIC, Kristone Capistrano – NSW, Tom Carment – NSW, Tanya Chaitow – NSW, Ari Chand – NSW, Joshua Charadia – NSW, Matthew Clarke – VIC, Penny Coss – WA, Maryanne Coutts – NSW, Fiona Currey-Billyard – NSW, Dagmar Cyrulla – VIC, Madeleine Joy Dawes – VIC, Amy Dynan – NSW, Helen Eager – NSW, Yvonne East – NSW, Stephanie Eather – VIC, David Fairbairn – NSW, George Gittoes – NSW, Richard Goodwin – NSW, Kendal Heyes – NSW, Mark Hislop – VIC, Daniel Hollier – NSW, Pollyxenia Joannou – NSW, Alan Jones – NSW, Locust Jones – NSW, Alex Karaconji – NSW, Sonia Kurarra – WA, Hyun Hee Lee – NSW, Brooke Leigh – NSW, Ruark Lewis – NSW, Tanya Linney – NSW, Lily Mae Martin – VIC, Jonathan McBurnie – QLD, Noel McKenna – NSW, Peta Minnici – NSW, Damian Moss – NSW, Wendy Murray – NSW, Angus Nivison – NSW, Chris O’Doherty (aka Reg Mombassa) – NSW, Catherine O’Donnell – NSW, Toshiko Oiyama – NSW, Jenny Orchard – NSW, Becc Ország – VIC, Kerrie Poliness – VIC, Monica Rohan – QLD, Paul Selwood – NSW, Wendy Sharpe – NSW, Peter Solness – NSW, Kim Spooner – NSW, Luke Thurgate – SA, Justine Varga – NSW, Mirra Whale – NSW.
EXHIBITION
Hardenvale – our home in Absurdia
DATES: 28 March – 20 April 2019
OPENING NIGHT: 27 March, 6–9pm
LOCATION: Rayner Hoff Project Space
OPENING TIMES: Monday–Saturday, 11am–5pm
Hardenvale – our home in Absurdia is a real-scale, immersive, house-like environment by Australian artists Catherine O’Donnell, Kellie O’Dempsey and Todd Fuller. Through drawing, projection, built form, sound and movement, this collaborative project references the architecture of 1960s Western Sydney Government housing as well as spaces the group describe as ‘the cultural fringe of Australia’. Crossing three generations, these artists’ re-imagine lived domestic space while expanding the practice of drawing to create an intimate and unsettling experience. Harvesting images from personal narratives of imperfect moments (both familiar and strange), Hardenvale is a humble dwelling made from drawing in which to spend, loose or find time. This installation invites visitors to reflect on their own experiences and memories of home.
EXHIBITION
DIMENSIONS VARIABLE: NAS STAFF SHOW
DATES: 27–30 March 2019
OPENING NIGHT: 27 March, 6–9pm
LOCATION: Building 25 Project Space
OPENING TIMES: Wednesday–Saturday, 11am–5pm
This exhibition celebrates the central role of Drawing at the National Art School. Drawings by over 40 contemporary artists present the vibrancy and diversity of contemporary drawing. With work by all current drawing lecturers as well as drawings from key staff in the major studios, it surveys the nature of drawing as an exploratory, expressive and thought provoking process.
EVENTS
AUTUMN WEEKEND WORKSHOPS: DRAWING FOCUS
DATES: Saturday–Sunday, 18–19 May 2019
TICKETS: $360 / $325 (Early fee, book by 1 April 2019)
Explore the possibilities of drawing – there’s something here for every level of ability, with a series of hands on, fun and informative workshops led by artist educators.
Choose from the workshops below:
EVENTS
WEEKEND WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS
Screenprinting Fundamentals with Wendy Murray
DATES: Saturday–Sunday, 18–19 May 2019
TICKETS: $250
EVENTS
Art Matters: Professional Development Workshops
The National Art School offers professional development workshops for Visual Arts teachers informed by different studio disciplines, techniques and upcoming exhibitions at the NAS Gallery. These workshops are designed to develop technical and conceptual skills to incorporate into your own practice as well as allowing scope to take these practical artmaking skills into the classroom to inspire your students.
A Focus on Drawing
Saturday 16 March 10am–3pm: Experimental drawing
Saturday 23 March 10am–3pm: History, Memory and the Archive
Saturday 30 March 10am–3pm: Drawing the Dobell Prize
$80 per workshop
$210 for three workshops
Teacher Masterclass: Field Drawings at the Royal Botanic Garden
In partnership with the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney this workshop will explore plein air drawing techniques relating to the botanical and landscape subject matter.
DATE: 10–11 May 2019, 10am–4pm
LOCATION: Royal Botanic Garden on Friday, National Art School on Saturday
TICKETS: $250
EVENTS
School Holiday Workshops (6–18 Years)
DATES: 15–18 and 23–24 April 2019
TICKETS: $130 per day and $550 for five-day programs unless otherwise specified
Our Mini-Makers program offers students aged 6–8 an opportunity to start their artmaking journey using a variety of different artmaking materials and techniques. Future Makers presents workshops for students aged 9–12 to build on their ideas and understanding of the art world. High School workshops enable students aged 13–18 to extend and challenge their knowledge, skills and understanding of artmaking through in-depth conceptual and technical study.
EVENTS
FAMILY Workshops
Expressive Printmaking
DATES: 23–24 April 2019, 9.30am–4pm
TICKETS: $200 (1 parent + 1 child) OR (2 students only aged 10 and over)
Led by Esther Neate, a two-day workshop for kids and families inspired by the Dobell Drawing Prize.
FAMILY Workshops
Drawing with World Around You
DATES: 18–19 May 2019, 10am–12.30pm or 1.30pm–4pm
TICKETS: $40 per session
A series of expressive and experimental drawing activities for families to participate in over the weekend – all inspired by the Dobell Drawing Prize
