Celebrating 50 years of Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School!

2024 is our 50th anniversary as a Sculpture Studio School! We warmly invite you to celebrate this historic milestone on Saturday 6 July, from 3 – 6pm for the opening of a special exhibition and celebratory event. 

Celebrating half a century of the Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School 1974 – 2024 this special exhibition features sculptures by our founder, the late Tom Bass AM, as well as sculptures from Alumni, students and teachers from our rich 50 year history. It is a showcase of creativity and tradition as well as a celebration of the future of sculpture and our vibrant community.

Exhibition features: Tom Bass AM, Helen Alajajian, Karen Alexander, Usama Alnassar, Peter Bartlett, Wendy Black, Michael Christie, Christophe Cornard, Carol Crawford, Christine Crimmins, Daniel Dominguez, Lea Ferris, Margo Hoekstra, BJ Kim, Virginia Lloyd-Tait, Bernice Lowe, Damien Lucas, Ingrid Morley, Arielle Morris, Elena Murgia, Jenny Pollak, Monika Scarrabelotti, Brendan Toole, Jennifer Turpin, Tony Wong Hee.

The school founded in 1974 has been a key part of a vital and thriving network of creative organisations in Erskineville since 1998. Whist the school has attracted students from across Sydney and inter-state, it has always focussed on community. From working with Erskineville Public School to create a magical sculpture for children, to our scholarship program for which funds are regularly raised and donors sought, in order to bring sculpture and its teaching to members of the community who would not normally be able to access or fund sculpture tuition.

The school has created a rich and diverse community that ripples outward providing a place for learning, creativity and expression.

In 2024, the TBSSS continues to develop a range of innovative and challenging programs which fulfil our core values of upholding the traditions of sculpture, promoting of public sculpture and being a viable and vital part of the community. We are proud to be celebrating the wonderful milestone of 50 years of providing high quality tuition and inspiration to thousands of students since those humble beginnings in 1974.

Tom Bass AM (1916 – 2010) created sculptures for the public domain – his sculptures connected with people and can be seen in numerous educational institutions (UNSW, University of Sydney) and also in many prominent public spaces across Australia - for instance, the Lintel Sculpture outside the National Library in Canberra. Central to Bass’ ethos was his great sense of community, and a love of teaching.

In 1974, after more than forty years practicing his art, Tom founded his independent sculpture studio-school with the aim of teaching the fundamental principles, ideas and concepts vital to his tradition. Tom set up his Sculpture School in a warehouse loft overlooking Broadway. It remained there until 1998, when redevelopment forced Tom to move his Studio School to Erskineville. This is where the Studio remains today. Although Tom passed away in 2010, his traditions and teachings have lived on through the community of teachers and students that learnt from Tom and continue to support and attend the Studio today.