Directors of top Sydney art galleries sign a declaration of support for the city’s three existing art schools

Sydney’s top commercial art galleries call for “hands off” the city’s big three tertiary art schools.

Sydney art gallery directors have signed a declaration of support for Sydney's three art schools. Picture: Tim Olsen

TOP commercial art galleries are united against Sydney’s three tertiary art schools being merged into one “centre of excellence”.

Directors of most of Sydney’s leading art galleries yesterday signed a declaration of support for the three art schools to remain as they are.

The schools are the National Art School in Darlinghurst, UNSW Art and Design in Paddington, and Sydney University’s Sydney College of the Arts in Rozelle.

Sydney University last week withdrew from a planned merger with UNSW Art and Design, following a sustained student protest campaign.

But Sydney University Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence did not rule out revisiting the merger in future.

The National Art School in Darlinghurst was also in discussions about forming closer ties with the two university schools.

Yesterday’s demonstration of support was organised by Damien Minton, NSW president of the Australian Commercial Galleries Association.

Ralph Hobbs Director of Nanda Hobbs art gallery and Damien Minton, NSW President of the Australian Commercial Galleries Association supporters of the push to keep the three Art schools independent.

Mr Minton also manages the Watters Gallery which has been representing famous artists including James Gleeson, Reg Mombassa and Euan Macleod for 50 years.

“The effect of trying to rationalise all three art colleges into one has a dramatic effect on the whole industry,” Mr Minton said.

“It’s a stupid idea.

“Diversity in art colleges and art education means a lot to us. This is where we get our artists from.

“It’s important not only for the students but for the art teachers. They’re professional practising artists and they’re the people that we also represent through the gallery structure.”

Signatories to the declaration included Tim Olsen of Olsen Irwin gallery, Ralph Hobbs of Nanda\Hobbs, Randi Linnegar of King Street Gallery on William, Martin Browne of Martin Browne Contemporary, Adam Sims of Liverpool Street Gallery, Roslyn Oxley of Roslyn Oxley9, Campbell Robertson-Swann of Defiance Gallery and Ali Yeldham of Arthouse Gallery.

The Declaration of Support by Sydney’s art gallery directors for Sydney's three art schools.

Different schools of thought and learning experiences were essential to maintain a lively art scene, Ralph Hobbs said.

“If you don’t have schools that are independent in their thought processes, you get a homogenisation of ideas and that’s not art,” Mr Hobbs said.

To tamper with the history of the National Art School would be tantamount to “dumbing down our society”, Tim Olsen said.

Olsen’s father, the famous artist John Olsen, studied and taught at the NAS.

“I was conceived in one of the drawing rooms after a party,” Tim Olsen said.

“My mother was one of my father’s students.”

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