Nicholas Collins

2022 VJ Award for International Study
Genre: Music

Nicholas Collins is originally from Ballarat, Victoria. He moved to Melbourne in 2018 to attend the University of Melbourne, studying a Bachelor of Music (Classical Vocal Performance). As a child he always sang in church choirs and now continues a strong musical family tradition - his grandparents being founding members of the Babirra Theatre Company, based in Melbourne.

Throughout high school, Nicholas was part of the school Chamber Choir. In 2017 they travelled to Vienna, Austria to compete in the Summa Cum Laude festival and placed second. Nicholas was lucky enough to be chosen to sing the closing anthem of the festival which ultimately spurred him on and inspired him to pursue music and vocal studies. He loves exploring many different styles within his voice but he especially loves singing Mozart and late romantic composers. He has been involved with Opera Scholars Australia and is currently studying at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester UK.

Rachel Power (Rocket)

2022 Small Equipment Grant
Genre: Visual Arts

Rocket is a narrative surrealist artist and illustrator working out of a private studio in Geelong, Australia. Their work is inspired deeply by nature and experiences of the strange, peculiar and anomalous.

They explore different dreamscapes and create works with layered meanings that pertain to either personal experiences and influences, or the perspective leant to them vicariously through others.

Rocket’s aim is to create these images in such a way that it challenges the viewer to unravel them, or to try and find their own individualised meaning from what is presented in the work. The work is often sensitive and delicately rendered in graphite to communicate these messages.

They also use their art as a way to escape from the world that so many of us are swept up in. They create their own places; where it is safe to be different and where you are the creator of your own world.

www.artbyrocket.com

Patrick Duffy

2023 Mentoring Program
Genre: Sculpture

"I explore the versatility of repurposed cardboard to produce larger than life sculptures that challenges its viewer to not think outside the box, but what’s been achieved with the box.

With years of a professional career in the performing arts I call on my skills as an improviser and storyteller, I ‘play’ with the material, working primarily with the natural hues of the cardboard to challenge me to explore what I can do with it to achieve different shapes and textures. I want my creative visions to speak for themselves, it’s my ideas that matter, My pieces are made from a material that most throw away, this lets my design take center stage, beyond the glitz and glamour of fine materials.”

https://cleverfool.com/

Fyerfly

2023 Mentoring Program
Genre: Music

From the gentle mountain streams of Victoria, sadcore songstress Fyerfly is captivating audiences with her mesmerising late-night intimacy. In the vast world of Dark Indie, Fyerfly’s sensuality stands vulnerably in its fragile & emotive delivery of sadcore & new-aged torch songs. Fans describe her voice as “sultry & soulful”, offering a soothing solace in the enveloping darkness.

 https://www.fyerfly.com.au/

Margie Balazic

2023 Mentoring Program
Genre: Illustration

Margie is a unique artistic designer with the amazing ability to create storybook illustrations. Her colourful stories entice, entertain, teach, and inspire those around her. Specialising in multimedia design and inspired by history, architecture, the environment, important stories and the greatest of imagination. Margie has a strong foundation with endless years of experience as a unique diverse designer / curator with a wonderful creative background in illustration, graphic design, stop motion animation, architectural form, illumination displays, cloth design, artistic fabrication, children’s craft, large scale murals, installations, visual displays, commercial photography, artist in schools and galleries, laser cutting and creative play.

Lisa Hunter

2023 Mentoring Program
Genre: Mixed Media

Artist and writer Lisa G Hunter lives on a Trust for Nature property which inspires her work. Lisa is currently working on a series of abstract landscape paintings in acrylics. She also creates fabric designs from her original photographs of wildflowers, writes poetry, and personal essays.

 https://lisaghunter.com/

Justin Weyers

2021 Mentoring Program
2023 Mentoring Program
Genre: Creative Production

Justin’s 20+ years’ experience in producing and directing mixed media content has taken him all over the world. International distributed feature films, national advertising campaigns, corporate stakeholder events and immersive theatrical productions have driven his passion for people, place and importantly a good story.

His work is grounded in authentic stories of people and their unique differences. It’s important that content is both educational and entertaining in attracting and keeping an audience’s attention. Always keeping the brand’s audience at the forefront of the creative process, Justin has collaborated with clients such as eBay, Virgin, Nike, National Trust and Givaudan. Experimenting with Redbull TV to reflect the stories of the young trailblazers of today. Documenting the renovations of the Russian Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, bringing to life its unique past. Collaborations with comedy legends Monty Python on documentaries and the feature film A Liar’s Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Graham Chapman, were once in a lifetime, hilarious experiences. 

Over the last six years, Justin now based in Australia has been creative producing larger public events like the historical sound and light show ‘Aura’ for Sovereign Hill Museum, The Australian Pavilion at the World Expo in Dubai that had 1.6 million visitors and White Night Shepparton with its 32 activations across the city attracting 31 thousand people. Justin creates projects that help us, not distract us, learning with humour, benefiting from collaboration and importantly, enjoying one’s own unique journey in life. 

www.picturethinking.co/
Picture Thinking is a creative arts consultancy motivated to understand, educate and change. We bring awareness, clear communication and legacy to any story, big or small.   Our mission is to facilitate self knowledge and awareness in making educated decisions.

Genèvre Becker

2023 Mentoring Program
Genre: Arts Management

As an artist, creative thinker and multi-business owner, I understand the rewards and challenges of being a maker. Throughout my arts education, the skills required for running a micro business were an afterthought. Through this experience, I'm able to coach others to build and grow their aspirations. I believe in empowering people to thrive, personally and professionally.

https://genevrecreative.au/

https://genevre.com.au/