Anne has a Diploma in Fine Art and a love of textiles and fashion. Her rich artistic career spans a period of 30 years, during which she has gained a vast experience across screen, lino and block printing, hand painting, marbling, batik, Shibori, and natural plant dying. Anne works with interior designers, architects, couturiers and corporations both domestically and internationally. Her unique and versatile style has earned her large commissions from clients such at The Hyatt Hotel Group; Fiji Outrigger, Sandy Lane, Barbados, Jupiter’s Casino, Gold Coast, Reef Casino, Cairns, and Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. Anne’s fabric design studio in Byron Bay produces custom hand-printed textiles on a range of fabrics from fine silk to cotton, hemp, wool and furnishing canvas. She also has her own fashion and homewares range.

Co-mentoring Lily Noakes, with Potts

Bernadette’s practice is inspired by landscape elements, in particular water in all its forms clouds, rain, rivers, rock pools and the ocean. She is currently preparing a series of digital prints and paintings examining the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, for an upcoming exhibition, Aqua Profunda, to be held at 45 Downstairs Gallery, Flinders Lane, Melbourne, to coincide with World Ocean Week 2012.

Co-mentoring Ria Tierney, with Fran Flynn

Carli Leimbach is a producer, curator and artist. Throughout her career she has developed and managed arts projects and programs for large-scale outdoor festival settings in Australia, America, Indonesia and the United Kingdom including Zero1 Biennale San Jose USA, Burning Man Festival, Splendour In the Grass Festival, The Great Escape Festival, Cockatoo Island Festival, Gang Festival, Body Pacifica and Sydney Laneway Festival. She is currently employed as the Producer for the Lismore based Splendid Project, a national young and emerging artist initiative.

Mentoring Alex King

Emma trained at St Martins in London and has enjoyed an exciting career working internationally as a scenic artist in the film and design industries. As a street artist she developed a following as Emma ‘Atlanta’ Harrison, leading to numerous commissions, including the creation of largescale public art community projects with Futurescapes Consultancy and The Gold Coast City Council, for whom she negotiated with stakeholders including local high schools, youth services and skaters, re the development of works for the Nerang and Varsity Lakes skate parks. Emma has recently expanded her practice to include tattoo art and body painting.

Mentoring Marcus Upton

Fran Flynn completed her initial degree in graphic design [with a major in photography] in her native Ireland. After moving to Australia she pursued additional study at Sydney’s Australian Centre for Photography, and subsequently secured her first professional engagement as the expedition photographer on a volunteer school building project in Namibia, Africa. She has since been the recipient of numerous photography awards, for both her creative and commercial work. Since 2002 she has managed her own business, Frangipani Creative, based in Byron’s Arts & Industry Estate, offering full creative brand development, graphic design, website design, commercial photography and most recently commercial video.

Co- Mentoring Ria Tierney, with Bernadette Curtin

Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal is a contemporary dancer, choreographer and creative collaborator. She is a Masters of Choreography graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and a founding member of Mirramu Dance Company, specialising in dance works about human relationships with their environments. Jade has performed internationally with a diversity of dance companies, independent choreographers and directors including; Houlihan & Dancers, The Body Cartography Project, Chunky Move, Gong Tronic, Victorian Opera, Bebe Miller, Sophie Maslow, Ronald K Brown, Jason Pitt, Bernadette Warlong, Vivienne Rogis and Stephen Page. In 2011 her solo work ‘6/7 empty’ will tour nationally, with a show at Lismore’s Star Court Theatre on June 25, supported by Kultour and Australia Council for the Arts. She is currently developing a new installation dance and music work titled ‘Opal Vapour’ with Paula van Beek and Ria Soemardjo.

Mentoring Ruby Teather

John Dahlsen studied art at the Victorian College of the Arts and at the Melbourne College of Advanced Education. He has won numerous awards for his work, including the prestigious Wynne Prize in 2000, has lectured at many Australian universities, and has been an invited speaker at architectural and environmental symposiums both in Australia and internationally. In 2009 John was awarded the Swell Sculpture Exhibition “Environmental Art Award” and went on to win this prize again in 2010. In 2010 he also won the People’s Choice Award in the ArtsCape Biennial Sculpture Exhibition in Byron Bay. In March 2011 he was commissioned by the Commonwealth Bank to create a major sculpture for their new HQ, from objects collected from the annual Clean up Australia campaign in Sydney.

Mentoring Mel Robin

Karen Hanna is a singer songwriter and performer. During her late teens and early twenties she had an emerging career in the Sydney scene playing pubs and restaurants in bands and duos, and then returned to her musical career after 15 years spent raising her family. In addition to her creative practice as a singer & songwriter, Hanna runs her own business, Mae Management, which provides professional services in artist management, administration and business writing and conference and event management.

Mentoring Danika Smith

Karena’s career began as part of the Melbourne art scene where she busily absorbed all she could during Sunday lunches at Heide with Sun and John Reid, and visiting the homes of artists such as John Perceval and Mirka Mora. She moved to Sydney and joined Group 20 filmmakers where she was taught film by Phil Noyce, Chris Tillam and Albie Thoms and became one of the founding members of the Sydney Filmmakers Co-operative Cinema. Together with partner Peter Moylan and Matt Butler, Karena ran the ‘Blinky Bill Film Workshop’ for the Australian Film and TV School. After making several documentaries and independent films she moved to the North Coast of NSW, and established a reputation as a visual artist. In 2000 she stepped back from full time exhibiting to concentrate on writing music and acquiring multi media skills. Her music and songs are currently represented by Pump Audio New York/Getty Music and have been used extensively throughout the world in film and television. Every Thursday Karena presents ‘Arts Canvass’ on Bay FM community radio. Karena is also the leader of co.sonance an electronic/symphonic multi-media quartet whose current project “The Ice Suite” is a 45 minute composition based on the death of Scott of the Antarctic that will be debuted on the anniversary of Scott’s death in March 2012 at the MONA Gallery in Hobart.

Mentoring Jacob Fitzroy

Martin has enjoyed an exciting career as an illustrator, children’s author and graphic designer in the UK, US and Australia. His work was shortlisted for the NSW Premiers Literary award in 2008, and in 2009 he joined the judging panel. He was a guest speaker at the Byron Writers Festival in 2007, writer-in-residence at The Southport School in 2008, ran a Writer’s Boot Camp for The State Library of Queensland in 2009 and is currently President of LAB (Lennox Arts Board).

Mentoring Clare Douglas

Potts has a Diploma of Graphic Design and also a Diploma of Fine Art, which support his diverse art practice. His work is largely influenced by the pop art movement of the 60s, and often incorporates silkscreen printing and the use of recycled/salvaged timbers and materials. Potts has his own studio as well as sharing an art space with his wife Anne Leon in the Byron Arts and Industry Estate.

Co Mentoring Lily Noakes with Anne Leon

Sisters Melia and Nerida Naughton, AKA Scarlett Affection, are two of the Northern Rivers most popular singer songwriter performers, renowned for their unique repertoire of stunning harmonies, affecting ballads and quirky ditties. In recent years the pair have achieved songwriting awards and touring grants, and performed extensively in Australia and the US, including shows in New York City and at festivals in Memphis and Toronto. Their love of music has also led to the Scarlett Affection singing school, a dynamic learning space for kids and adults who want to learn fresh contemporary music and stagecraft.

Mentoring Eliza McLeod

Randolf started his musical journey as vocalist for the Sydney 80s hardcore punk band Massappeal. Recent collaborations include electro-acoustic duo Kolliope, with singer/songwriter Michelle Taylor, and experimental projects with visual artist/musician Darren Porter. He also performs solo live electronics as Dolfazoid. Randolf is also the artistic director and facilitator of Tra la la blip, an artist collective based in Lismore, which provides people with disabilities access to new musical technologies, opportunities to collaborate with other musicians and artists, and to record and produce original compositions. Tra la la blip’s first CD release, Soundbeam Sessions Volume 1, has won several dance awards and helped the group gain international recognition.

Mentoring Jack Tinning

After attaining a degree in fashion and textile design, Wendy worked with a number of Australian designers before developing her own business Collections Design Group, which she grew into a multi million dollar international design business. Highlights of her 20 year career in the fashion industry include being selected to design the Australian Olympic Team uniforms for the Barcelona Olympics, being honoured by The Fashion Group International Award, and recognised by the Telstra Awards for the Best Business run by Woman. She currently runs a fashion consultancy business.

Mentoring Jaz Who