Email us:
[email protected]
Follow us:

The National Art School Launches National Centre for Drawing

Media News

The National Art School Launches National Centre for Drawing

by

As the school approaches its centenary occupying the historic site of the former Darlinghurst Gaol (1922-2022), NAS students across all disciplines – ceramics, painting, printmaking, sculpture and photomedia – continue to engage with drawing throughout their degree courses.

The school is affirming its core commitment to this crucial artistic skill with the establishment of the National Centre for Drawing (NCD), which seeks to promote and nurture practice, research and scholarship in drawing.

“This exciting new endeavour will foster informed dialogue, debate and understanding around the diversity of drawing practices in the context of fine art,” said NAS Director and CEO Steven Alderton. “It will also be a focal point for establishing national and international connections to educational and cultural institutions and organisations, galleries, art communities and practitioners, and to build audiences and public appreciation of drawing.”

The NCD will cultivate curiosity around this primary artistic discipline, grounded in the traditions and techniques of the past but extending to less visible or recognised forms of drawing, exploring its myriad possibilities as a form of contemporary creative expression, and extending to the outer realms of drawing practice.

The centre incorporates many elements including The Drawing Gallery, a new space at NAS dedicated to drawing exhibitions. The inaugural show, From the Mountain to the Sky: Guy Warren Drawings, celebrates one of Australia’s most admired artists Guy Warren, opening on his 100th birthday and running from 17 April – 22 May 2021.

NCD will also present programs, projects and events that incorporate the physical activity of drawing, including The Drawing Exchange bringing professional artists onto campus; the annual Margaret Olley Drawing Week with NAS students; and a diverse and engaging program of public workshops. The Festival of Drawing launches in 2021, a biannual event in conjunction with the Dobell Drawing Prize, including workshops, screenings, family activities, symposiums and talks.

NAS Head of Drawing Maryanne Coutts said the NCD will enrich cultural life on campus, hosting International and Emerging Artist Residencies to give students and staff the opportunity to engage with innovative contemporary drawing practices from outside the school. NCD will also produce printed and online publications for exhibitions and projects, and podcasts with in-depth conversations about drawing.

Image: First year drawing students in the NAS Gallery, 2020. Photo: Peter Morgan
Image: Yul Scarf, Still Life of a Falling Monument, 2020, video still.
Share:
#Follow us on Instagram

In June, we celebrate World Pride Month. Like many other culturally significant times, it’s a month that’s meaningful to our community and the Oxford precinct we are part of.

In 2015, NAS alum Todd Fuller (@fuller_todd) sent members of the public black and white drawings depicting two men engaged in a passionate kiss. The participants were encouraged to respond to the image by colouring in the figures, with the resulting images compiled by Fuller into a mixed media video animation.

Fuller gifted this work to the National Art School Collection, a collection that performs a major role within the National Art School as both a teaching resource and a historical record. Visit our website to find out more about the works in our collection.

—
Todd Fuller, ‘The Unite Project - 3rd generation ‘, 2015, mixed media animation, colour and sound, 13.35 mins loop; image courtesy the artist and National Art School © Todd Fuller. From the National Art School Collection - Gift of Todd Fuller.

View Instagram post by nas_au

Jun 1

Open post by nas_au with ID 18083733226677636
In June, we celebrate World Pride Month. Like many other culturally significant times, it’s a month that’s meaningful to our community and the Oxford precinct we are part of. In 2015, NAS alum Todd Fuller (@fuller_todd) sent members of the public black and white drawings depicting two men engaged in a passionate kiss. The participants were encouraged to respond to the image by colouring in the figures, with the resulting images compiled by Fuller into a mixed media video animation. Fuller gifted this work to the National Art School Collection, a collection that performs a major role within the National Art School as both a teaching resource and a historical record. Visit our website to find out more about the works in our collection. — Todd Fuller, ‘The Unite Project - 3rd generation ‘, 2015, mixed media animation, colour and sound, 13.35 mins loop; image courtesy the artist and National Art School © Todd Fuller. From the National Art School Collection - Gift of Todd Fuller.

We`re excited to share that NAS Photomedia sessional Dr Jack Ball (@jack__ball_) is the winner of the $100,000 Ramsay Art Prize 2025, the nation’s most generous prize for Australian artists under forty.

Jack`s award winning work `Heavy Grit` is on display in the Ramsay Art Prize 2025 exhibition which opens tomorrow, Saturday 31 May

Jack Ball with `Heavy Grit` in Ramsay Art Prize 2025, Art Gallery of South Australia, (@agsa.adelaide) Adelaide; photo: Saul Steed

View Instagram post by nas_au

May 30

Open post by nas_au with ID 18051165854373990
We're excited to share that NAS Photomedia sessional Dr Jack Ball (@jack__ball_) is the winner of the $100,000 Ramsay Art Prize 2025, the nation’s most generous prize for Australian artists under forty. Jack's award winning work 'Heavy Grit' is on display in the Ramsay Art Prize 2025 exhibition which opens tomorrow, Saturday 31 May Jack Ball with 'Heavy Grit' in Ramsay Art Prize 2025, Art Gallery of South Australia, (@agsa.adelaide) Adelaide; photo: Saul Steed

Thank you to outgoing Chair Susan Rothwell AM & welcome to incoming Chair Jeff Weeden. The National Art School would like to express its deepest gratitude to Susan Rothwell AM, whose term as Chair of the NAS Board concludes on 31 May 2025.

At the same time, we are pleased to announce and warmly welcome Jeff Weeden as the incoming Chair of the NAS Board, effective 1 June 2025.

Jeff has served as a Director on the NAS Board since 2019 and currently chairs the Finance and Audit Committee, a position he has held since 2023. For the full announcement, click the link in the bio.

View Instagram post by nas_au

May 29

Open post by nas_au with ID 18067334153065760
Thank you to outgoing Chair Susan Rothwell AM & welcome to incoming Chair Jeff Weeden. The National Art School would like to express its deepest gratitude to Susan Rothwell AM, whose term as Chair of the NAS Board concludes on 31 May 2025. At the same time, we are pleased to announce and warmly welcome Jeff Weeden as the incoming Chair of the NAS Board, effective 1 June 2025. Jeff has served as a Director on the NAS Board since 2019 and currently chairs the Finance and Audit Committee, a position he has held since 2023. For the full announcement, click the link in the bio.

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) starts today! As part of our NAS NRW program, we invite you to a special screening of the documentary `Kindred` (2023) in our Cell Block Theatre. The directors Gillian Moody and Adrian Russell Wills will be joining us for the screening.

`There`s the black world, and then there`s the white world. I felt walking in each of them was complicated enough. To bring those together would just make it even harder.` (Kindred: Trailer)

`Kindred` is a deeply personal feature-length documentary that delves into the emotional landscape of family, love, and loss through the eyes of two close friends.`

Limited capacity - click the link in bio to reserve your seats.

View Instagram post by nas_au

May 27

Open post by nas_au with ID 17927799885062744
National Reconciliation Week (NRW) starts today! As part of our NAS NRW program, we invite you to a special screening of the documentary 'Kindred' (2023) in our Cell Block Theatre. The directors Gillian Moody and Adrian Russell Wills will be joining us for the screening. 'There's the black world, and then there's the white world. I felt walking in each of them was complicated enough. To bring those together would just make it even harder.' (Kindred: Trailer) 'Kindred' is a deeply personal feature-length documentary that delves into the emotional landscape of family, love, and loss through the eyes of two close friends.' Limited capacity - click the link in bio to reserve your seats.
Loading...