By Stephen Alderton
When the National Art School campus closed due to COVID-19 in March 2020, students, teachers and staff were not the only ones affected. We also had to shut the doors on the public to the NAS component of NIRIN, the 22nd Biennale of Sydney.
Students in the NAS Gallery with social distancing after returning to school after lockdown. Photo: Peter Morgan
Going into lockdown was difficult for everyone, but we were determined to let our students know that although the campus was closed, NAS was not. Over a few hectic weeks, our Head of Studies Simon Cooper created an Academic Contingency Plan, which included bringing most theoretical courses forward into the earlier part of the year, leaving mainly studio-based practical courses in the latter half.
We moved our courses online, creating a custom-built Student Portal giving students instant access to lectures, projects and assignments, and our teachers became adept at delivering classes via Zoom. Our students also proved agile as they created studio spaces at home, in their kitchens and garages, on dining tables and rooftops, even turning a bathroom into a darkroom.
Our marketing team also launched NAS Connect, an online campaign to help students feel connected to the school and each other. The NAS Connect Instagram page was where students, staff and alumni shared their work and experiences, with more than 2,600 posts to our Studio Sessions hashtag.
Even though we and other tertiary providers were not eligible for Jobkeeper, we kept all our academic, program and corporate staff. We were committed to supporting the workforce who had supported NAS for many years, and there was much to do as we projected to springboard out of COVID-19 in 2021.
Some staff and postgrad students began returning to campus in May, with all students back for the start of third term on July 20. About 11% of our students took course leave, or applied to reduce their study load, but the overwhelming majority stayed the course, and we were able to present full Grad Shows for our 2020 BFA and MFA graduating students, welcoming the public back on campus.
We had maintained no general public access to the site from March 2020 until the BFA Grad Show in December to prioritise our academic program and reduce the risk of infection. Both Grads Shows ran a little later than usual but were still amazing celebrations of the work students had created during an extraordinary year.
Our Short Courses were also affected by lockdown and no public access to campus. In response, our Head of Public Programs Dr Ella Dreyfus introduced the School’s first online Short Course program, which was a great success. The courses quickly sold out, with students all over Australia and around the world signing up; the online courses are now a permanent part of our public offerings, providing access to quality art education to those who are unable to attend NAS in person.
NAS lecturer Molly Duggins, alumni Reg Mombassa, and students Rani Matthews and Anna Mould with the Corona Quilt as work in progress, in the NAS Chapel. Photo: Jacqui Taffel
During lockdown we strengthened our relationships with regional galleries through the launch of On Stillness. Devised by curatorial staff at NAS and Newcastle Art Gallery, this collaborative virtual exhibition across social media focussed on each gallery’s collections, and other regional galleries were invited to participate – Tweed, Orange, New England, Wollongong and Lake Macquarie all contributed.
We also saw a student-led project flourish, the Corona Quilt. Two students from an art theory class put out a call to fellow NAS students, staff and alumni during lockdown to make quilt squares with a pandemic theme, which would be sewn together into a quilt when campus reopened and students could gather in person again. The finished Corona Quilt, which included squares by Reg Mombassa, Joan Ross and Jumaadi, was part of Sydney Craft Week in October and has been acquired for the NAS Collection.
Though 2020 was in many ways a traumatic and disturbing year, the experience at NAS was that through encouraging creativity and supporting personal connections when we were kept apart, students, lecturers and staff showed great resilience and determination. Many commented that continuing their practice helped them get through the tough times, and overcoming this unexpected adversity strengthened the bonds between them.
Many elements of our Academic Contingency Plan, such as online access to coursework, will continue to benefit the School long into the future. I am extremely proud of the dedication, creativity and humanity of staff and students at the National Art School during this last challenging year.
Steven Alderton is Director and CEO of the National Art School