Ballarat Arts Foundation 25 Years, 25 Artists

In episode 25 of 25 Years 25 Artists, Tabitha Rickard sits down with filmmaker, storyteller and poet Fehraz Lateef. A recent addition to the BAF family, Fehraz is a 2025 Annual Grant Round winner, receiving the Jack Anderson Award for Filmmaking, and also a 2025 Eureka Art Award exhibitor. Fehraz’s creative journey began with poetry... a safe space, giving him a voice, a way to express his inner w...

In this episode, Tabitha Rickard dives into the world of Emily Never, a self-described modern medieval artist whose creative path began in Darwin with an unexpected spark from a Faber-Castell box. Emily shares her unconventional approach to landing a job at Kryal Castle - a pivotal moment that led to meeting her future spouse - and how she discovered her passion for ink, a medium that truly resona...

Today, Tabitha Rickard dives into the inspiring journey of Amanda Western – a printmaker and emerging installation artist who traded the corporate grind for creativity. After facing burnout and personal challenges, Amanda found healing through art. From working at her dining room table to receiving her first grant from the Ballarat Arts Foundation, her path has been full of transformation. She’s n...

Meet Paula Nicholson – a true country girl with music in her veins. Growing up in a musical family, Paula taught herself to play guitar and spent years performing in bands around Ballarat and across Melbourne’s vibrant music scene.  Her journey didn’t stop there. Paula and her husband became passionate supporters of the arts, leading her to join the Ballarat Arts Foundation and eventually serve as...

Join Tabitha in this inspiring episode of 25 Years 25 Artists as she chats with Patrick Duffy, affectionately known as “The Cardboard Guy.” Patrick’s artistic journey spans theatre, improv, and visual arts, with a creative twist born during the pandemic - transforming cardboard deliveries into captivating art. From his first exhibition at The Old Butchers Shop Gallery to blending multiple art form...

Today, Tabitha sits down with one of BAF’s newest alumni, Jayde Masterson - a creative powerhouse and recent graduate of the Foundation’s mentoring program. Jayde is a content creator, makeup artist, and business owner whose journey took off during lockdowns when she began crafting themed characters that captured imaginations and led to collaborations like the Moonlight Market at Kryal Castle. Ins...

This week, we are flipping the script and handing the mic to guest host Olivia French, who sits down with the incredible Tabitha Rickard to explore her creative journey and how the Ballarat Arts Foundation helped shape her path. Tabitha is a true multi-disciplinary artis - currently focused on acting, presenting, and voice work - but her artistic path has touched so much more. From growing up in C...

This week, Tabitha Rickard sits down with Jessica Larm - an artist and jewellery maker with a fascinating journey. A recent Ballarat Arts Foundation alum, Jessica participated in the 2024 Mentoring Program and received a grant that same year that's helped her purchase the equipment she needs to hone her craft. Her work draws inspiration from her Nordic heritage, and while jewellery is her cra...

In this episode, Tabitha Rickard sits down with comic book creator and game designer Shaun Sunday — also known as Brainbeast_studios .   From Saturday morning cartoons to his very first 12-page comic, Shaun’s journey has been fueled by passion and imagination.   Drawn by its heritage, landscape, and creative opportunities, Shaun recently made the move to Ballarat from sunny (and hot!) Queensland....

In this vibrant episode of 25 Years 25 Artists, host Tabitha Rickard sits down with Artistic Activationist Zlatko Balazic. With a unique blend of engineering expertise and artistic passion, Zlatko transforms traditional artworks into immersive experiences - infusing them with sound, movement, and texture to make them accessible and interactive, especially for people with disabilities. From a linea...

Welcome to Episode 15 of 25 Years 25 Artists – the series celebrating the creative spirit of Ballarat! This week, host Tabitha Richard sits down with the vibrant and visionary Kat Pengelly – a creator who’s turned wearable art and fashion theatre into unforgettable experiences. Kat found traditional fashion parades a bit too dull, so she reimagined them as theatrical journeys, inviting audiences t...

In this episode, Tabitha Rickard sits down with Ben Joseph Andrews, a pioneering New Media artist whose work explores immersive and interactive forms. Since 2016, Ben has been crafting multi-sensory installations that have captivated audiences both in Australia and abroad. With a background in film theory, Ben’s journey led him to the world of virtual reality, where storytelling takes a backseat t...

Welcome to Episode 13 of 25 Years, 25 Artists. This week, Tabitha is joined by Olivia French, a performer, director, producer, and all-round creative force who’s never met an artistic challenge she didn’t want to explore. Olivia’s love for performing sparked in high school, but it was the pandemic that rerouted her journey into the world of podcasting and deeper creative collaboration. Living in B...

In this episode, Tabitha chats with Felicity Liston - a registered music therapist, flautist, and passionate advocate for the healing power of sound. Felicity’s journey began in Year 7 with a borrowed flute and a deep love for music that carried her through high school. But it was her studies in psychology that unlocked a new path - one that led her to music therapy, where she now helps others con...

In this episode, Tabitha sits down with Ballarat-based visual artist Kirrily Urquhart, whose eye for texture, colour, and pattern transforms everyday details into captivating artworks, sometimes in the most unusual of places.  From a childhood road trip through Bathurst to projection art at White Night, Kirrily shares how her creative journey was shaped by a love of closeups and a timely BAF grant...

Meet Ballarat’s Poetess, Megan J Riedl - a bold, neurodivergent creator whose work spans spoken word, theatre, collage, and community workshops. Megan is not only an artist, but also a single mum and proud autistic woman whose creative journey is as layered and powerful as her poetry. Like many artists, Megan’s path was reshaped by the pandemic. But instead of retreating, she leaned in - learning...

Welcome back to Episode 9 of 25 Years, 25 Artists, where creativity meets courage and the unexpected becomes unforgettable. In today’s episode, Tabitha Rickard meets her first guest in recording this podcast series - Heather Horrocks. Heather was a late bloomer in the art world whose journey proves it’s never too late to start something extraordinary. Heather’s story is one of reinvention. Though...

In this episode, Tabith dives into the tactile, expressive world of contemporary jewellery with artist Claire McArdle. From childhood beadwork to mastering gold and silversmithing at RMIT, Claire’s journey is a testament to the lifelong learning embedded in her craft. Her pieces aren’t just adornments - they’re vessels of memory, storytelling, and experimentation. Claire shares how a wool-focused...

In this heartfelt episode, Tabitha Rickard sits down with Harri Dale - guitarist, singer, teacher, and emerging composer - whose musical journey began in a family full of sound and soul. From early days on the cello to discovering the guitar at fifteen, Harri’s path has been shaped by passion, persistence, and the power of community. Thanks to the Nicholson Award from the Ballarat Arts Foundation...

Welcome to this week's episode of 25 Years, 25 Artists, where Tabitha sits down with someone who’s lived the highs of the stage and now navigates the complexities of the courtroom - meet Chelsea Donoghue, a singer, songwriter, vocal coach, and music lawyer whose journey is as dynamic as her voice. From growing up in a musically rich household - her father a classical music enthusiast - Chelse...

Today we’re diving into the creative world of Jessica Schroeter, a passionate visual artist whose journey has been deeply rooted in Ballarat’s vibrant arts scene. After receiving her first Ballarat Arts Foundation (BAF) grant in 2007 to support her Honours project, Jess has remained a committed contributor to the local arts community ever since. Originally from rural Victoria, Jess moved to Ballar...

Tegan Hamilton is a multidisciplinary artist whose creative journey spans glass blowing, painting, metalwork, and woodworking. From a young age, she was drawn to artistic expression, inspired by her grandmother’s legacy. Her passion for drawing began early, and during high school, she discovered a talent for three-dimensional art while working on school musicals. Encouraged by a supportive teacher...

Joshua Hyde chats with Tabitha Rickard about his remarkable musical journey that began in Ballarat and has taken him across Europe. Though now based in Switzerland, where he teaches at the Geneva University of Music, he continues to perform experimental music around the globe — from Paris and Montreal to Cologne and back home in Australia. His artistic path started early, with piano as his first l...

In this inspiring episode, we dive deep into the creative world of Aaron Glenane — a talented actor, writer, producer, and director with roots in rural Australia. Born and raised in Ballarat, and one of four kids to a farming father and a mother devoted to special needs education, Aaron’s path was anything but predictable. From early days immersed in sports, Aaron gradually discovered the transfor...

Welcome to the first episode of 25 Years, 25 Artists. The Ballarat Arts Foundation (BAF) is thrilled to present this series of podcasts where we delve into how BAF has helped emerging artists from the Ballarat community reach new heights and achieve their ambitions.  In this episode, artistry meets evolution—and today’s guest takes that journey to a whole new octave. Tabitha Rickard speaks with Ka...