NITV: Dr Fiona Foley takes top literary prize for truth-telling about QLD history
:quality(82)/media/news/FionaFoley1.jpg)
NITV: Dr Fiona Foley takes top literary prize for truth-telling about QLD history
Article by Nadine Silva
Badtjala artist, academic and NAS alumna Dr Fiona Foley has won the top prize at this year’s Queensland Literary Awards for her book which sheds a light on the colonial-era practise of paying Indigenous workers with opium.
The book ‘Biting the Clouds: A Badtjala perspective on the Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act, 1897’ took out the $25,000 Queensland Premier’s Award for a work of ‘State Significance’.
Read the full announcement through the link below. Find out more about the artist and her practice through the Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum article, published in 2020.
Image: Fiona Foley. Photo: Dominic Lorrimer.
Latest News
Friday 27 February 2026
:quality(82)/media/tc1.jpeg)
Friday 27 February 2026
Congratulations to National Art School alum Tommy Carman as the recipient of this year’s Prudence MacLeod Prize. Supported by the Lansdowne Foundation, Tommy will undertake a 6-month residency at Acme Studios, London from July this year. Selection Panel Statement The selection panel was thoroughly impressed with the high calibre of applications across a diverse range of practices. The shortlisted…
Thursday 26 February 2026
:quality(82)/media/artist-Mathew-Thomson.jpeg)
Thursday 26 February 2026
Made possible through the generous support of Sam Watkins, PIMCO Australia, we are delighted to announce a new scholarship that supports a talented First Nations artist undertaking the Bachelor of Fine Art. Congratulations to Matthew Thomson as the inaugural recipient. Matthew, a Worimi country man, grew up in the Maroubra beach / La Perouse area and commences at the National Art School as a BFA…
Tuesday 24 February 2026
:quality(82)/media/ARS2025.64-photo6.jpg)
Tuesday 24 February 2026
Following a short fundraising campaign, the National Art School archive and collections has recently acquired Sydney Gaol, an extremely rare album containing original photographs of our site and building. Our sincerest thanks to all our donors who made this acquisition possible. Email nasarchives@nas.edu.au to make an appointment to view this new acquisition.