Peer 2 Peer – Southern Tablelands Arts

STA PEER 2 PEER MENTORING

The STA Peer 2 Peer Mentoring program brought together 28 professional artists and creative professionals to connect & share through a supported system of reciprocal mentoring sessions between two creative minds. 28 Peer 2 Peer Mentors were matched into mutually beneficial pairs. Participating creatives each received a professional stipend to cover their time for nine mentoring sessions. Plus a funded place and travel allowance to attend the Creatives’ Recharge Retreat weekend, at St Clement’s Retreat & Conference Centre in Galong. Find out more about the Creatives’ Recharge Retreat weekend.

Meet the Peer 2 Peer Mentors

Joe Quilter and Ric Abel

Joe is a renowned Wollondilly based artist who has been painting murals professionally and exhibiting his work for over 20 years. Ric is a Wingecarribbee based artist renowned for his versatility who constantly reinvents himself in his creations, refusing to confine his talent to a single style. His work explores a diverse array of subjects and themes, from the whimsical world of Mr. Squiggle to the poignant stories of the Cybermen, featuring recurring motifs like landscapes, skulls, and quasi-cubist elements.

Lily Cummins and Ben Quilty

Lily is a tactile artist living and working on Gundungurra land Mittagong, whose work is process driven, creating conversations between repeated forms and structures. Through investigative mark making, the artist explores the disintegration of memory and the inevitable passage of time, exclusively mining her personal experience of remembrance, absence, and loss. Ben is Southern Highlands based artist whose work often serves as a reflection of social and political events; from the current global refugee crisis to the complex social history of Australia, he is constantly critiquing notions of identity, patriotism and belonging.

Suze Smith and David Cole

Suze is a theatre maker, writer, and director of live performance in collaboration with a range of community participants and independent artists. Suze provides a sophisticated interpersonal space which brings forth the spirit of collaboration; creating platforms for people to connect to self, other, and place, in ways that are life giving and joyful. David is a writer from Goulburn. He was a country journalist for about 20 years and now writes plays and teaches. His characters are drawn from rural Australian life.

Keva Abotomy and Dianna Nixon
Keva is a singer, pianist and music educator based in the Southern Highlands. Dianna is a seasoned artist with over 40 years in the performing arts, who found her true creative voice later in life. In 2019, she founded Music Theatre Projects, a not-for-profit company to support diverse artistic endeavors. As a genre-fluid creative, Dianna works as a pianist, voice and piano coach, and performer across various mediums. Her career spans from early modeling and TV appearances to significant contributions in theatre, film, and music.

Jessica Raschke and Alison Ford

Jessica is a multifaceted professional with a background in writing, editing, research, education, and creative consultancy. She has facilitated events focused on death literacy and personal transformation, including Death Cafes and the From the Brink Fringe Festival. Her writing has been featured in various publications, and she has published several books. Alison is a visual artist living in Southern NSW. She creates semi-sculptural pieces and paintings using paint, collage, pencils, ink, cardboard, and photography. Her art is influenced by the constantly changing nature of colour in the world.

Sue Wallace and Helen Fergeson
Sue is the co-artistic director of the Sydney Puppet Theatre and co-founded ImaginArta. She has directed major puppetry projects and was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to research Puppet Centres worldwide. She promotes puppetry through performances, workshops, and exhibitions, with a permanent venue in Sutton Forest. Helen is a graphic designer and founder of Create Collaborate Collective. After studying graphic design, she built a diverse career across publishing, advertising, and government work. In 2014, Helen transformed a run-down heritage cottage in Queanbeyan into The Queanbeyan Hive, a community space.

Lea Durie and Jodie Munday
Lea is an artist and small batch maker who creates works using ceramics, found materials, textiles, and paper, focusing on the relationship between the environment and care. Currently pursuing a Masters of Contemporary Art Practices at ANU, Lea’s work is also influenced by her background as a Landscape Architect. She creates earthy reduction-fired functional ware through her brand, Mud Dept., and teaches ceramics workshops from her home studio in Braidwood. Jodie is an artist who has been building her skills and passion for Visual Arts since high school.Her diverse practice includes drawing, photography, printmaking, pottery, and more, often combining these mediums to reflect nature and her Celtic, Aboriginal, and British heritage.

Ben Wilding and Lizz Murphy
Lizz is a Belfast-born poet who has lived in Australia for over forty years, currently based in Binalong, NSW. She has read her poetry in various venues, from cafés to courthouses, and has a rich background in publishing, arts marketing, and community arts.Lizz has also facilitated creative writing workshops across the country and has had her work translated into multiple languages. Ben has 20 years of experience in photography and videography, which he refined at SAE film school in Bangkok. Since 2016, he has run Wildthing Productions, focusing on corporate videography and short-form documentaries. Skilled in motion graphics, VFX, and post-production, Ben is also proficient with professional video cameras.

Eduardo Ruiz and Garth Prentice
Eduardo is a classical guitar instructor at the Young Regional Conservatorium, known for his lessons throughout the Hilltops region. He has performed at prestigious venues like Flinders University and the Floriade Festival, and has been recognized with awards at the Recitals Australia Lunch Hour Series. Eduardo has played for notable figures such as The Governor of South Australia and Peruvian Tenor Juan Diego Flores. Garth is a Goulburn-based singer-songwriter and educator known for his soulful blend of country and blues. His debut album, Welcome to G-Town, is available on streaming platforms, and he continues to release new music throughout 2024. As Head of Contemporary Music at the Hume Conservatorium, Garth plays a key role in developing local talent.

Libby Wakefield and Tika Robinson
Libby has been creating and teaching art for nearly 20 years, focusing on depicting local landscapes and wetlands through a Romantic lens. She has been a finalist in numerous art prizes, including the Waverley Art Prize and the NSW Parliament Plein Air Prize, and recently won the Blue Square Art Prize. Libby is represented by Whitewall Art Projects in Berrima and the Grainger Gallery in Canberra.Tika is a ceramic artist focused on sculptural fungus works. She explores contrasts in her art, such as life and death and decay and growth, particularly through the lens of fungi. Tika’s work examines the interplay between human forms and nature, drawing from her rural upbringing and interest in natural ecosystems.

Jodie Kilmister and Kate O’Connor
Jodie is a painter based in Mittagong, who captures her experiences of the natural world in her art. With an Advanced Diploma in Fine Arts and training from Libby Wakefield. Jodie is an active member of the Bowral District Art Society and participates in the Southern Highlands Pop Up Project and Arts Trail. Her work often reflects her fascination with Lake Alexandra, and she won the Blue Square Art Prize in 2020.

Ali Clinch and Simon Streatfeild
Ali is an award-winning actor and director from Ngunnawal Country, with a BA (Hons) in Applied Theatre from Griffith University. Her recent credits include Just Hearing and Blank, and she is known for her solo clowning show Suitcase Universe. Since 2016, she has worked with Mindblank Ply Ltd and co-directed the Project Alchemy Bushfire Recovery Tour. Simon, co-founded Envelope of Awesome in 2018. With over 15 years of experience in cartooning, creative thinking, and animation, Simon designs themed envelopes filled with creative activities aimed at boosting children’s self-esteem and imaginative skills. Simon’s mission is to provide children with engaging, hands-on creative experiences that foster growth and happiness.

Tracy Hopkirk and Al Phemister
Tracy, a jeweller with 30 years of experience, studied Jewellery and Silversmithing at The Sydney College of the Arts. Her work, which includes both intimate jewellery and large-scale sculptures, challenges traditional expectations. Al works with industrial materials to create organic, natural forms infused with a sense of gentleness and movement. Based in Yass, Al transforms rusted steel and other repurposed items into new, inspiring works, reflecting his belief that beauty can be crafted from what we have at hand.His works are in private and public collections worldwide and he has exhibited extensively,

Michael Simic and Richard Lane

Michael is a musician known for his evocative lyrics and powerful performances. His music blends themes of love and nature with a captivating presence. Richard is a tenor, who has performed with various organizations including Opera in the Valley and Jamberoo. His repertoire spans major tenor roles in works by Puccini, Britten, Verdi, and Wagner. He has also appeared in the Australian movie soundtrack “Gabriel” and performed the Rosemary Canticles by Dr. Paul Paviour. He is the Founder and Creative Director of the Vocal Muster, a charity advancing singing and self-esteem for secondary school students.

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