Sidney Nolan Trust

What's On

Events at the Trust and off-site

Artists' Camps 2017

Each summer we host students, graduates and staff from art colleges and universities across the UK. In the spirit of the Sydney Artists' Camps of more than a century ago, and of Sidney Nolan's own vision for The Rodd, these week-long 'camps' offer participants the chance to walk, talk, review their practice, experiment and share ideas with each other and the public.

Sidney Nolan's Studio

Housed in part of the 17th century barns at The Rodd, the studio benches were covered in plastic on his death in 1992 and have remained undisturbed since. The studio acted both as a storage space for a large collection of art materials accumulated over 50 years, as well as a working space. It is typically cramped and utilitarian - he would use the larger adjacent barn, now the Gallery, when working on big canvases. His extraordinary choice and variety of painting materials are in evidence on the studio shelves; cans of Ripolin household paint, stocks of dry pigment to be mixed with the ‘new’ white PVA glue, alkyd gel medium, cans of spray paint, along with brushes, squeegees, rags, travel crates and books. Leading Nolan conservator Dr Paula Dredge of the Art Gallery of New South Wales has undertaken a two month residency at The Rodd this Spring, making an initial survey of the studio contents. Conservation work will continue over the coming months. To mark the centenary of Sidney Nolan’s birth, we are delighted to be able to open his last studio to the public for the first time. Housed in part of the 17th century barns at The Rodd, the studio benches were covered in plastic on his death in 1992 and have remained undisturbed since. The studio acted both as a storage space for a large collection of art materials accumulated over 50 years, as well as a working space. It is typically cramped and utilitarian - he would use the larger adjacent barn, now the Gallery, when working on big canvases. His extraordinary choice and variety of painting materials are in evidence on the studio shelves, including cans of Ripolin household paint, stocks of dry pigment to be mixed with the ‘new’ white glue, PVA, present in large quantities, alkyd gel medium, cans of spray paint, along with brushes, squeegees, rags, crates and books. Leading Nolan conservator Dr Paula Dredge of the Art Gallery of New South Wales has undertaken a two month residency at The Rodd this Spring, making an initial survey of the studio contents. Conservation work will continue over the coming months. The studio, together with an exhibition of paintings and objects in the Gallery, finally gives visitors to The Rodd an unrivalled insight into Nolan’s artistic world and an opportunity to understand his use of materials, his different techniques and how he created his works. From Friday 26th May 2017, the studio is open to the public Monday-Saturday, 10.00-17.00 (closed Sundays). Admission is free; donations towards the studio’s ongoing conservation are welcomed. Headphone sets are available for visitors to take a self-guided tour. If you would like to book a tour by a member of staff, or if you wish to bring a group of 8 or more people, please contact the Trust office by email or phone, 01544 260149. Paula Dredge’s residency was funded by the Gordon Darling Foundation, Rowena Danziger AM, Ken Coles AM and the Sidney Nolan Trust. Studio interpretation by...