The National Art School is the place to study for anyone serious about pursuing a career as a practicing visual artist in Australia. 

Our beautiful inner-city campus, where we have been for over 100 years, is inspirational, and our hands on studio-based teaching model has produced some of Australia’s most renowned and respected artists. 

Each year our graduates join the School’s celebrated alumni and embark on a journey as the next generation of leading Australian contemporary artists.

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We are a dedicated, specialist art school, focused entirely on art and artists. Our core strength is providing exceptional art education through our unique studio-based teaching model, centred on hands-on learning under the guidance of leading artists, scholars and educators. 

We are proud of our specialised areas of studio practice and exploring new approaches to interdisciplinary practices. Our inclusive and collaborative learning model values the contributions of both students and teachers to develop rigorous makers and thinkers, and to connect artmaking to global challenges. The quality of our art education is seen in our alumni and academic staff whose influence is felt across the sector. 

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Why the National Art School?

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Small Classes

Small classes enable students to work closely with their lecturers and peers, building a community of curiosity, constructive discussion and peer learning. 


Studio Based

Whatever the nature of your practice, we emphasise hands-on studio learning and creative environments. Every student has studio access, with communal spaces in the first year and dedicated studios for higher levels of degree study. 


Specialist Facilities

The specialist workshops are extensions of the studio and supported by expert staff. Students develop material understanding and –  technical expertise in specialist equipment, providing the artist with the means to actualise their ideas.


Practicing Teachers

We practice what we teach. All of our lecturers are practicing artists, art historians, professionals and researchers who are leaders in their fields. 


A Lively Community 

The transmission of art between generations happens in our studios, workshops, lectures, tutorials, critiques, library, gallery and events. 


Creative Futures

Our graduates have strong professional skills and clear career trajectories. Alumni pursue pathways as practicing artists, arts sector professionals, curators, academics, in arts therapy, cinematography, and more.

It’s a real gift to be in a place run by people — many of whom are artists themselves — who understand that everything feeds your practice: the thinking, the wandering, the resting.
Anna Mould, NAS alum and recipient of the Inaugural Prudence MacLeod Prize

Faculty

NAS lecturers are a diverse team of more than 100 accomplished and experienced artists, art historians, curators and researchers, many of whom have received major awards, and exhibited at world-renowned galleries, museums and art fairs including the Venice Biennale, Art Basel and the Archibald Prize. Their extensive professional insight creates a rich, dynamic and immersive learning environment dedicated to fostering the individual talents of each student. 

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Dr Yolunda Hickman
Head of Learning & Teaching, Acting Head of Postgraduate Studies
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Dr Alex Kershaw
Head of Photomedia
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Dr Louise Boscacci
Head of Ceramics
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Dr Michael Hill
Head of Art History & Theory
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Dr Carolyn McKenzie-Craig
Head of Printmaking
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John Waight
Head of First Peoples Programs

The National Art School acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Traditional Owners on whose Country we meet, share and create. We pay our respects to all Gadigal Elders past and present. We celebrate the diversity, history, knowledge and creativity of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia. 

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