NADC Visual Arts Students in Head On exhibition!

Mara Peralta, work in progress for  'The Speed of Light'

The Speed of Light is the name of an upcoming exhibition of Visual Art photography students at NADC. The exhibition is part of the Head On Photo Festival, and will be held at the Trapezium Gallery at NADC from Tuesday May 21-until the 29th of May, with the exhibition event being held at the Gallery on Wednesday the 22nd of May at 12 noon.

The exhibition is experimental in nature, with the artists working within the Gallery space to explore image possibilities which may or may not stay within the confines of the rectangle. This exhibition offers the artists the valuable opportunity to explore and experiment with both image production and installation.

Featured artists are Nathaniel Moss, Ivy Jean, Caitlin Chapman, Georgina Taylor, Malcolm Nash, Destyn McMinn, Julie Bartolo, Anna Tebar, Mara Peralta, Samantha Friebel, Natalie Rowe, and Michelle Tholen.

Catherine O'Donnell's Exhibition

Join Catherine O Donnell  - one of  our fabulous drawing and theory  teachers -  at her show 'Estates of Tommorrow',  at the Flinders Street Gallery:   - http://www.flindersstreetgallery.com/ .

Catherine's work was described by  Sydney Morning Heralds  Michael Fitzgerald as ' like crime scenes mixed with love'.

Be sure to see this amazing show of intimate and detailed drawings - closes on the  20th of April.

You're invited to the Visual Arts Bus Unveiling!

All welcome to the Great Unveiling on December 13!

We are getting pretty excited as the day of the Visual Arts Bus unveiling draws closer !

Here is a recap on the bus, and an updated timeline. We do hope you can join us for the festivities.....

More than seventy self portraits from the Me Myself and I project will adorn the side of a local bus that will travel the local region around Penrith and St Mary's. Me Myself and I is an annual project we host in the Trapezium Gallery at NADC, and features self-portrait images from NADC students and staff.

The bus will be officially unveiled  on Thursday December 13, at the Bus Stop outside of Gate 1 in
 O' Connell St, Kingswood. All friends and supporters of Visual Arts at NADC are warmly invited to join us for this celebration. We will gather at 10am, for a 10.30 unveiling.  There will be lots of photo opportunities, and the artists will be invited to sign their work on the side of the bus. We do hope you can join us.

At approximately 11.30am, the bus will then go on a tour of Penrith, and take us to the Penrith Regional Gallery, for a welcome to the latest exhibition from one of the Gallery's curatorial staff. (or if you prefer, the cafe does one of the best coffees in Penrith..)

Artists who are exhibited on the side of the bus get first dibbs on a seat, however if there are any spare seats, anyone can jump on board. If you don't get a seat, we would love to meet you at the Gallery if you can get there under your own steam. We expect to be back at the College around 1pm, with one stop off point in Penrith on the way back.

We don't have many seats left, but you can book yours by calling Regina Cooper on ph 9208 9484 :

If you can't come for the ride, we would still love it if you could join us for the official unveiling at 10 for 10.30am, Gate 1, O'Connell Street.

Featured artists are:
Aaron Berndt, Adele Bruens, Alex Curtis, AmorV, the late Arnold Freen, Blake Hicks, Carol Donovan, Chris Legaspi, Claire Lang, Constance Taylor, C Spillane, Danielle Pearse, David Raynor, Di Holdsworth, Elise Pike, Emma Smith, Eva Mahfoud, Georgina Taylor, Grace Edmonds, Jack Gibson, Jacqui Graves, Jade Martin, Jaimie Gall, Janet Reinhardt, Jason Dewhurst, Jeliza Vega, Jennifer Chapman-Paton, Jo Newton, Jodi McConaghy, Judy Frazer, Julia Samuel, Julieanne Bartolo, Julie Willis, Karen Normoyle, Karl Hellman, Karl Doyle, Katherine Kennedy, Kathryn Trippett, Katriona Asiata, Kerry Donnelley, Kimberley Miles, Lisa McKay, Lorraine Bateman, Lyndon Matts, Lynn Williams, Malcolm Nash, Maria Okon, Marion Brooking, Micheal Sharpe, Narwal Khatiwada, Naomi Murdolo, Natalie Horvat, Nelson Nyangole, Nerida Gibbs, Nicola Mason, Reena Mitra, Ricardo Della-Ricca, Robert Musgrave, Robyn Lewis, Rum Hort, Sally Evans, Samara Kendall, Sandra Hussey, Shannon Ring, Sharon Zou, Stephen Hall, Suzie Harris, Sue McDonald, Sue Evans, Susan Jorgensen, Tatiana Campos, Terrence Combos, the late Tim Dean, Tim Newman, Tom Brady, Tom Groves, Tracey Leigh Smith, Vaughan England.

Congratulations to all represented artists, we would have loved to include many more, but we would need another bus!

You can register and enrol for Fine Arts courses at NADC for 2013, by visiting our course information page:
http://nadc.wsi.tafensw.edu.au/art/course.aspx
or calling 131 870.

Previews of the Me Myself and I books can be found here:
http://www.blurb.com/books/2023001
http://www.blurb.com/books/3120682

NADC at the Fisher's Ghost Art Award

Cath Barcan, Untitled image from the series 'Film', inkjet pigment print,
 35cm x 50cm, 2012 
This work won the Photographic Award, Fisher's Ghost Art Award, 2012.

A huge crowd filled the Campbelltown Arts Centre for the 50th Fisher's Ghost Art Award on Friday night. Amongst the artists included in the exhibition were NADC staff Nerine Martini and Cath Barcan. Also selected as finalists were current students Nawal Khatiwada, Julieanne Bartolo, Ruma Hort, Barbara Hellman and Katherine Kennedy. In addition, numerous graduates of fine arts at NADC were amongst the selected artists. And if that isn't enough, did we mention that fine arts T.O. Ricardo Della-Ricca helped install the show in his other role as freelance preparator?

The Fisher's Ghost Art Award offers a  first prize of $40,000  which was taken out by Raquel Ormella. Raquel is now a very successful Australian visual artist who started her art training with us at Penrith TAFE some twenty years ago.

The Fisher's Ghost Art Award has numerous category prizes, and Fine Arts Head Teacher Cath Barcan won the Photographic Award. Her winning image is pictured above.

The Judges for the prizes were Natasha Bullock, Curator Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of NSW, Lisa Havilah, Director  of Carriageworks, and Keith Munro, Curator Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Programs, Museum of Contemporary Art.

Congratulations to all NADC participants on your involvement in this show.

Latest Exhibition news

 Hot on the heels of the  Diploma One students show  will be 'Trihibition' an exhibition of works  by students of Certificate IV in Visual Arts.  The exhibition will open  on  September the 12th at noon in the Trapezium gallery. Feel free to come and have a look and  perhaps  purchase  some fabulous  works  - all welcome.

 

Amazing public art project involving our students

Eighteen NADC students are thrilled to be involved in a multi-media art and inclusive community event in Penrith in September called No Boundaries. For at least 12 of these volunteers, their participation in the project will turn into a paid traineeship, which will make them eligible in the future to work operating the multimedia equipment in use during the project, which is planned to remain in the community for use in future events.

No Boundaries will involve:
"Large scale architectural projection… interactive and playful displays… and a gathering of people from Penrith, Blue Mountains and Sydney… An unforgettable show bringing together creative and talented people from all walks of life to see something very new in Penrith!"  
 - from the 'no boundaries' website

The project aims to involve members of the community from all walks of life, and is being overseen by a creative industries company called Illuminart. This company specializes in the design and creation of world class projection art, cross-disciplinary arts and audiovisual storytelling of lasting significance to communities. Illuminart's avant-garde media art projects incorporate illumination, interactive projection art and performance, developed in creative partnerships and collaborations among a variety of disciplines. 
 - from the illuminart website http://www.illuminart.com.au/
Have a look at the gorgeous example of illuminart's work inthe clip below. In this video, the kinetic ship sculpture is also the source of the projections on the building. This is the kind of cool stuff our students are going to be working with, so keep your eye on this project !

 In another wonderful collaborative opportunity, NADC photoimaging students will document the performance events in September.

Studio Space at Parramatta Artists Studios

Here's a great opportunity from Parramtta Artists Studios for artists who are not enrolled in study, or will have graduated by the start of 2013.

Parramatta Artists Studios is at the fore of contemporary artistic production.
 Located in the centre of Parramatta’s CBD, the Studios offer affordable non-residential and residential studio space to contemporary artists.

Artists are invited to apply for non-residential studios with tenures ranging from 6-24 months. A residential studio is also available to regional NSW, interstate and international artists for up to 3 months.

Please note, Artists who are in the midst of tertiary studies for which a studio is allocated are not eligible for a studio here. The current round covers studio access from 1 October 2012 and throughout 2013. So if a student is gradating this year, then they should apply now and stipulate that they would take up a studio upon completion of their course (at the end of this year or start of next year).

Applications close 4:30pm Thursday 30 August 2012.

http://www.parracity.nsw.gov.au/play/facilities/arts/artists_studios for further information and to download an application form.

Enquiries on 02 9687 6090 or studios@parracity.nsw.gov.au

Sculptural Ceramics

There's a new part time course available in Sculptural Ceramics at WSI Nepean.

The course will focus on handbuilt sculptural Ceramics with experienced teacher and Ceramicist Susan Jorgensen and will run on Tuesday evenings from 17 July until the end of November.

You can download a course information brochure here and enrol online.

Have a look at the ceramicsnepean wikispace to see what's on in Ceramics.

 

Hidden 2012

Congratulations to staff members Stephen Hall and Aiden Harris  who have  been selected for the fourth annual Hidden : Rookwood Sculpture Walk. The exhibition invites  audiences to explore the historic cemetery and find the sculptures  installed within  the grounds.
All artworks selected into Hidden 2012 are short listed for the Rookwood Necropolis Sculpture Award -  a $5,000.00 non-acquisitive award.

 'With views of the city on the horizon, this site offers artists a rare opportunity to showcase their work in an extremely thought provoking context'.

"The Limner Loses"

gouache on a photographic image on watercolour paper

 Image from Stephens proposal for Hidden 2012

Simon Cook - Sculpture Award Finalist

Congratulation to Simon Cook, a graduate of the Certificate 3 in Ceramics in 2011, who has been selected as a finalist in the UWS Sculpture Award.

"The UWS Sculpture Award showcases major works by significant Australian artists, some of whom have created sculptures especially for the University's Campbelltown Campus."
The Acquisitive prize is valued at up to $25,000.

"The UWS Sculpture Award and Exhibition aims to establish closer links between the University and artists, and engage with the community by providing a valuable educational and cultural resource, as well as enhancing the campus environment for teaching and learning."

Have a virtual tour of the work here

You can even vote for Simon in the People Choice Award.

Staff finalists in Painting Prize

Congratulations to  our new full time painting and drawing teacher Tim Allen , selected as a finalist in the 2012 NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize. Congratulations also to  fellow Fine Arts teacher Stephen Hall who has also been selected.

The term ‘en plein air’ refers to the practice of painting out of doors, in direct engagement with nature. Tim described this practice in relation to his selected entry:


“This work was created over Easter 2012, at a property outside Cooma on the Monaro Plains. The collections of granite boulders and dieback trees that dot the property have the starkness of the European romantic tradition. This was emphasised on the day of this painting when the initially sunny day quickly transformed as a strong southerly front brought an unseasonal snowstorm. The energy and tension imbued into an artwork by the unpredictability of working en plein air is what I love about the process. The day finished with a beer, contemplating the painting on the veranda as snow fell and the other artists started a snowfight'

The finalists are on display at NSW Parliament in the Fountain Court until 31^st May. The exhibition is open Monday to Friday, 8.00am – 5.30pm.  

Tim Allen -  Granite Fields Monaro Plains

Catherine O'Donnell's three exhibitions

Catherine O'Donnell, 'inclosed land', 2011, charcoal on paper, 42 cm x 210 cm

NADC Fine Arts teacher Catherine O'Donnell is currently showing in three exhibitions.

 'Still Life' is an exhibition at the Parramatta Artist Studios (Feb 27- March 23, 2012), which is curated by Sophia Kouyoumdjian. This exhibition challenges the common perceptions of the still life genre, from the kitchen table to the streets of Western Sydney, and darts around the tradition of motionless composition.

 The exhibition features contemporary works by Catherine O’Donnell, Sarah Goffman, Helena Leslie and Naomi Oliver, that utilise emotive stillness, clustered objects and arrangements of light and shadow to inject currency into convention. This exhibition was opened by Anne Loxley, C3West Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art.

Catherine is also showing in the 2012 Adelaide Perry Prize for drawing. This annual exhibition is an acquisitive drawing prize judged by art critic John McDonald, who shortlisted 48 artworks for exhibition from more than 420 entries from across Australia. Alongside Catherine in this exhibition is fellow NADC Fine Arts teacher Tim Allen.
The exhibited drawings reflect the broad range of contemporary Australian artists’ approaches to drawing.

 Catherine O' Donnell, Shared Zone, 2011 charcoal on paper

In addition to these two achievements, Catherine's solo exhibition,'Venetian Visions' is a touring the east coast of Australia, and currently showing at the Grafton Regional Gallery.

Janet Reinhardt's group show

click for a larger image

Diploma of Fine Arts 2011 graduate is in a group show that opens on Saturday. All welcome!

Register your interest NOW for the Certificate III in Ceramics 2012

 

detail of ceramic works by recent students from a range of courses. From left to right; Ali Hutton, Kay Bazley, Katherine Kennedy, Peter Lewis, Raku firing, Ilona Ede.

Do you have an interest in hand-built and wheel-formed ceramics? The Certificate III in Ceramics is a full-time, 3 day per week ceramic speciality course, which is completed over 1 year, and an information and assessment session is being held at the Nepean Arts and Design Centre on Thursday December 8 at 12.30pm.

The Certificate III in Ceramics will equip you with the skills, knowledge and experience in a range of ceramic techniques including the use of the pottery wheel, the hand-building of sculptural work, mold-making, surface decoration, glaze technologies and kilns and firing.

For those with an interest in working with clay, this is a fantastic opportunity to gain comprehensive skills in many aspects of ceramics. Why not join other like-minded people in the best ceramic art facilities  in Western Sydney?

For full details, including course fees, location of enrolments and units covered, visit our course information page, and click on the link for Certificate III in ceramics. This will take you to an information leaflet for the course. Bookmark the course info page for the latest info on all our courses on offer in the Fine Arts section.

To register your interest in the course, you can visit the link below.

http://tiny.cc/wzkb0

You can also phone the college (131 870) and register over the phone.

You be required to attend information session on Thursday 8 December at 10am in room C1.09 at Nepean College, Kingswood Campus, 12-44 O’Connell Street Kingswood (enter via gate 2).

Click here for a map and instructions on how to find us.

For more news and views from the ceramics department at The Nepean Arts and Design Centre, visit the ceramicsnepean wiki.

Certificate IV in Visual Arts and Contemporary Craft: Apply NOW for 2012!

Drawing by Robyn Gosby, Certificate IV Visual Arts and Contemporary Craft, 2011.

The Certificate IV in Visual Arts is a full-time (3 day per week), 1 year course that gives a solid foundation in key studio areas within visual arts practice. The CIV offers studies in drawing, painting, fine art photography, printmaking, art history/ theory and ceramics. It is also the recommended pathway course for the new Diploma of Visual Arts, which will be introduced at NADC in 2013.

Certificate IV students gain a great deal of skills and inspiration during their studies, and many of our learners this year will go on to enrol in Diploma studies in 2012.

The image above is by 2011 CIV student Robyn Gosby, from a drawing class taught by Dalia Maron. To see more of the wonderful work created in this class, visit our  CIV 2011 Drawing flickr set. 

We are currently taking registrations of interest for the Certificate IV in Visual Arts for 2012. You can register online by visiting this link:

http://tiny.cc/aaerk

You can also phone the college (131 870) to register.

Once you are registered you will required to attend information and selection session on Tuesday December 6 at 10am in room P121 at Nepean College, Kingswood Campus, 12-44 O’Connell Street
Kingswood (enter via gate 2). 

We may also consider late applications, but given the level of interest in the course, we highly recommend registering for the first round offers.

To read more about the Certificate IV in Visual Arts, or any of the other courses we have on offer,
visit the fine arts course information page on the NADC website.

Fine Arts Intro course finishes on a strong note

Printmaking teacher Matthew Ablitt (far right) with students from the 7 week Fine Arts Intro course

In Term 2 and Term 4 of each year, NADC offers a full-time introductory course in Fine Arts. The course is 7-9 weeks in duration, and participants attend for 4 days per week with studies in printmaking, painting, drawing, ceramics and communication skills.

The photo above shows students from our most recent Intro course with a collaborative colour reduction lino print they produced during the course. As well as creating a limited edition of their own original print, the students produced this fun collaborative work. Class teacher Matthew Ablitt guided the students step by step in the skills required to make a colour lino print and the results were very impressive.

The last Fine Arts intro course has just wrapped up for the year, with many participants inspired to go on to further study with us in 2012. Congratulations to all students on their achievements in the course. 

To keep informed about our courses, keep your eye on the blog and our facebook page, or bookmark the course info page on our website. The next full-time Intro course is scheduled to start in Term 2, 2012.

Pottery exhibition organised by our former students

click for a larger image

Mike Moore and Jeff Lees began their ceramic training at NADC, and are now very active in the community organising classes, workshops, and exhibitions.

"The tyro’s of Positive Pottery would like to invite you to the opening of their exhibition, titled “T4 12” on Thursday 1st December; as part of World AIDS Day, 2011. This class has been made possible by a generous “Matching Grant” from the CITY of SYDNEY and the exhibition is sponsored by St Vincent’s Hospital. Please find attached your invitation to this event at St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst; official opening will be by Professor Andrew CARR, Director of HIV and Infectious Diseases at 6pm.
See you there"
-Mike Moore and Jeff Lees

Our students selected for the Fisher's Ghost Prize

Alex Zou,'Reality Non Phase No.12', mixed media on paper, 2011

Carol Fitzgerald, 'Waiting', mixed media on paper, 100cmx45cm, 2010

At least three students currently enrolled in fine arts courses at the Nepean Arts and Design Centre have been selected for this year's Fisher's Ghost Prize at the Campbelltown Regional Art Gallery.

Alexander Zou and Carol Fitzgerad from the Advanced Diploma of Fine Art, and Shiou-An Zou, Marcela Vilaplana, and Natalie Horvat from the Diploma of Fine Art, have been selected as finalists for the Prize, which opens tomrrow night at 6.30pm at Campbelltown Regional Gallery.

Congratulations to the artists on their inclusion in this exhibition.

Diploma of Fine Arts Graduation Show opens November 10

The Grad Show opens November 10 at 6.30pm in the Trapezium Gallery. Put the date in your diary, watch this space for more info..........

Cath Barcan's new website

 

images from Cath Barcan's website

 Fine Arts Head Teacher Cath Barcan has launched her website, featuring artwork from the last twenty or more years. Have a look at http://www.cathbarcan.com/