Bouddi Foundation Grantees Achieve Success in the Arts

Under the leadership of its founder, actor and director John Bell AO, OBE, FRSN, the Bouddi Foundation for the Arts—now in its fourteenth year—has become a powerful catalyst for young Central Coast artists. Through grants for tuition, equipment, mentoring, and overseas study, the Foundation enables emerging talent to take decisive steps toward professional careers.
Awardees span an exceptional range of disciplines: actors, singers, songwriters, opera and musical theatre performers, painters, sculptors, ceramicists, writers, screenwriters, playwrights, classical, popular and jazz instrumentalists, art curators, photographers, cinematographers, theatre producers and directors, puppet makers, Indigenous, classical and contemporary dancers, and even a circus acrobatic performer. Their achievements across Australia and abroad reflect the depth of talent the Foundation helps cultivate.
The eleven outstanding grant recipients featured below demonstrate the transformative impact of BFA support. For many, a grant arrives at a pivotal moment—providing a higher‑quality instrument, access to world‑class tuition, expert mentoring, or the chance to study overseas. These opportunities open doors that would otherwise remain closed, turning ambition into accomplishment and laying the groundwork for sustainable artistic careers.
The Bouddi Foundation for the Arts continues to show how strategic early investment can change lives and strengthen the cultural fabric of our community.

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​Flautist, Alyse Faith – Alyse is an accomplished orchestral musician, performing regularly as a casual player with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Opera Australia Orchestra, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic. She holds a Master of Arts in Performance and a Licentiate of Music Teaching Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music in London, where her studies were supported by the Bouddi Foundation for the Arts.
Recognised early for her talent, Alyse was Commended in the Royal Academy of Music J & J Brough Flute Prize (2019–20) and later joined the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Academy in 2023. She has appeared as guest principal flute with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and has performed extensively with the Royal Academy of Music Symphony and Opera Orchestras, as well as the University of London Symphony Orchestra.
Her international experience includes touring China as principal flute with the Australian International Opera Company. She has also held principal positions with the Australian Youth Orchestra, including the AYO Fellowship with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in 2021, and performed with both the Australian Youth Orchestra and the Momentum Ensemble in 2022.
Alyse’s career reflects consistent excellence, versatility and a growing national and international profile as one of Australia’s outstanding emerging flautists - demonstrating the power of a BFA grant at a critical stage of an artist's development.

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​Writer, Ashleigh Mounser - Now a two-time published author, Ashleigh was one of the first winners of a Bouddi Foundation for the Arts Grant in 2012. As a budding writer and Wollongong University student, Ashleigh Mounser received additional BFA grants in 2016 and 2021. 
She was named the Sydney Morning Herald's Young Writer of the Year in 2012. Ashleigh's debut book, "Blair Moon – How to Be Cooler Than the Moon," published in 2023, featured in that year's Bouddi Society "Words at Wagstaffe" in partnership with Words on the Waves. Blair Moon is a children's novel about an ambitious 11-year-old girl who grows up in a nursing home. 
In 2025, the BFA alumna won a two-book contract at auction with major Australian publisher Penguin Random House (PRH). The first of the pair of novels, 'The House on Hangar Hill,' is slated for simultaneous release in 2027 in Australia, the US, and the UK, with film and television rights promoted globally. The book is a dark suspense thriller novel set in Canyonleigh near Bowral, NSW. 
Ashleigh says: 'I wrote The House at Hanger Hill in the prolonged lockdowns of 2021, when I became interested in the horror of isolation, and the altering of self that can occur in seclusion." Ashleigh writes: "I am obviously thrilled at the publication, and, as always, so thankful for the work the Bouddi Foundation has done, and continues to do, supporting young artists."

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Dancer, Eliza Williams – A graduate of the prestigious Berlin Dance Institute, Eliza has built a rising career across the UK and Europe, including a recent three-month engagement in Rome. She also completed a Bachelor of Health Science (Exercise and Nutrition) at the University of South Australia in February 2026 and will return abroad to pursue further opportunities.
Eliza's determination to build a life in the arts—despite significant adversity—began after graduating from Conlon College ballet school in Pymble, with the Bouddi Foundation for the Arts supporting her at key moments. Selected in 2020 for the Berlin Dance Institute, she began her studies that September with assistance from the BFA. When COVID-19 forced the Institute's closure in May 2021, she returned to Australia and immediately enrolled in a Health Science program while continuing her Berlin training via Zoom.
When Germany reopened in September 2021, the Institute invited her back. With a rare Australian Government travel exemption and further BFA support, she completed her studies, moved to London, taught Pilates, and secured engagements not only in ballet but also in ballroom with several UK dance companies.
Eliza's path reflects resilience, adaptability, and a fierce commitment to her craft—qualities that continue to propel her career across Europe.
Photo of Eliza © Nanova Photography, Berlin - used with permission  

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Puppet Maker, Designer, Artist, and Sculptor, Gabrielle Paananen – Gab is a multitalented artist whose work is driven by a deep passion for giving inanimate materials a pulse, a presence, and a story. Using the language of movement, she creates creatures and forms that invite people into wonder.
Drawn to the patterns and intelligence of the natural world, Gab has studied natural history illustration, animal behaviour, taxidermy, mycology, and skeleton articulation. With several Bouddi Foundation for the Arts grants, she undertook specialist training in the United States in taxidermy and sculpture. With further BFA support, she completed a Diploma of Production Art, illustrated scientific papers, and contributed artwork to a Permaculture book.
Under the mentorship of artist and BFA adjudicator Peter Godwin, Gab released a print series celebrating Australian wildlife. In 2022, she created a giant glowing butterfly puppet for theatre company Born in a Taxi. She went on to serve as lead artist for Erth Visual & Physical’s puppetry-based productions. She completed a project in Oregon, USA building animatronic puppets with lifelike creature skins for film. She completed a course to qualify for welding metal sculptures.
Most recently, Gab has undertaken artist residencies in Finland and Japan. Her work ,now in her own studio, continues to be shaped by many years spent rescuing and rehabilitating injured wildlife. The movement, behaviour, and anatomy of birds of prey — along with the repeating patterns found throughout nature — remain central inspirations in her evolving practice.

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Actor, Imogen Sage – Imogen, the first Bouddi Foundation for the Arts grant recipient, was sponsored by the Foundation in 2012 to study at London’s prestigious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Securing a rare UK Global Talent Visa, she next performed in major West End productions before returning to Australia, where in 2019 she co-wrote and performed her debut play Woyzeck + Marie to a sold-out Melbourne season.
In 2021, she earned acclaim at the Sydney Opera House for her starring role in Claudel, the story of sculptor Camille Claudel. In 2024, Imogen appeared in episodes of Neighbours and toured nationally with Bell Shakespeare. Imogen is much sought recording narrations of current books for her "natural Australian voice."
Now, in 2026, with a substantial Create NSW grant, she is developing a new work for production that she describes as “an Australian Gothic about my Irish ancestor who went missing in 1930.” Reflecting on her journey, Imogen says: “BFA saw something in me and was with me all the way, supporting my dreams through the good and the hard times in London and Australia. I would not be where I am today without BFA’s financial support and guidance.”

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Painter, Jordan Richardson – Raised on the Bouddi Peninsula, Jordan holds a Bachelor of Fine Art (Hons) from the National Art School in Sydney and discovered his passion for oil painting at just 15. He is widely recognised for his portraits of prominent Australians — including actor and director John Bell, political journalist Annabel Crabb, actor David Wenham, and broadcaster Benjamin Law — each of which earned him finalist positions in the Archibald Prize for Portraiture in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022. 
His work, deeply influenced by the Baroque masters of the seventeenth century, has also twice placed him among the finalists for the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship and featured in exhibitions such as the Gosford Art Prize. Jordan has given back to the Bouddi Foundation by serving as an adjudicator and mentor for the annual grant program, supporting emerging visual artists with the same generosity he was shown. 
His practice is grounded in a fascination with art conservation: the tackiness, elasticity, and material memory of old paint are daily obsessions that shape his approach to the canvas. His current work explores the layered processes of portraiture — pentimenti, excavated paint surfaces, translucent glazes, and gestural marks — revealing the living history embedded within every painting.

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​Curator and Arts Researcher, Lilia Jackson - Lilia is an emerging curator and arts researcher, practising between Sydney and London. Her Bouddi Foundation for the Arts grant enabled her to complete her studies fora Master of Research in Exhibition Studies at the prestigious Central Saint Martins - University of London. Lilia has worked for both nationally and internationally recognised arts organisations, such as the Biennale of Sydney, Leonard Joel Auction House, ArtsPeople, Sydney Festival, Sculptures by the Sea, and UNSW Galleries. 
Lilia manages collections and corresponds with industry clients, audiences, artists and institutions. Lilia co-curated the exhibition 'Lumbung' at Paradise Row, Mayfair, London, which explored the themes of Documenta 15 (held in Kassel, Germany) with a London audience.

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Singer/Songwriter, Lucy Parle – Lucy is a gifted storyteller and rising star whose distinctive sound blends folk, pop, indie, and alt‑country. Her 2018 ORiGiN Music Award from the Bouddi Foundation for the Arts included mentoring and studio time with ORiGiN’s professional team, nurturing her emerging talent and helping her deliver a remarkably polished work for such a young artist.
A lover of honest, confessional lyrics, Lucy quickly began earning recognition on the national and international stage. She won first place in the Teen Category of the 2020 International Songwriting Competition for her song Back Up, joining Australian winners Birds of Tokyo, Mia Wray, The Presets, and Merci, Mercy. She has twice been named Youth Songwriter of the Year, received the Australian Songwriters Association’s Folk/Acoustic Songwriter of the Year Award, and collected multiple honours from the Tamworth Songwriters Association.
In 2021, Lucy signed with boutique Australian indie label Double Drummer, marking a major step in her artistic journey. Most recently, in February 2026, she released her new album 'Words I Should’ve Said,' further cementing her reputation as one of Australia’s most compelling young songwriters.

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Singer/Songwriter, Ruby Archer -  Ruby won the Bouddi Foundation ORiGiN Music Publishing Award in 2021, including professional mentoring, followed by the BFA Narelle Jones Memorial Award in 2022. One adjudicator summed her up simply: "She has it — a great jazz sound, excellent piano technique, and real personality." Another praised her songwriting as "excellent and raw." 
In 2023, Ruby won third place and an encouragement award in the Speak Up National Singer/Songwriter Competition, which supports young artists and highlights youth mental health. With her band, Ruby and the Groovy Doobys, she also took out the top prize and a Special Finalist Award in the YouthRock competition for original bands. Ruby ventured into television in 2022 as Veronica in the ABC ME series 'Soundtrack to Our Teenage Zombie Apocalypse.' Her debut album, Oh So Tender (2023), was nominated for the 2024 Australian Music Prize, and in 2024 she received the Australian Women in Music Awards Emerging Artist Award for her "unique and raw honesty." 
Her forthcoming album, Oh So Cynical (mid-2026), marks her debut as a self-producer, giving her full creative control over her sound.

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Indigenous Director of Photography and Video Artist, Ryan Andrew Lee - Ryan is recipient of the Bouddi Foundation for the Arts John and Merran Adams Award, using his grant to acquire a rare vintage lens that now defines his visual signature. A conceptual artist, Ryan explores alternative ontologies and epistemologies shaped by First Nations, spiritual and universal philosophies of life and mind. His strong background in cinematography and experimental documentary filmmaking is evident throughout his work.
Favouring moving image and installation, Ryan creates pieces designed to resonate on a deeper level of consciousness, with an intent to unify and connect. His works often draw on factual or historical narratives—positive or difficult—and are always crafted to educate, raise awareness, and offer alternative perspectives on cultural, environmental and occasionally political issues. He believes that understanding the past is essential to making sense of the present.
Driven by personal experience and the shared stories of family, friends and community, Ryan brings authenticity and insight to every project. He holds a BMA (Digital Media) from the UNSW College of Fine Arts and has exhibited widely across Australia and internationally.

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Violist, Suzie Kim  – Suzie is an exceptional violist whose musicianship is matched by a rare depth of curiosity and artistic integrity. She is now undertaking a master’s degree in Historically Informed Performance (HIP) at the Royal College of Music in London — the world’s top-ranked performing arts institution. Her 2024 acceptance marked a defining moment, though the financial realities of relocating to London initially placed the opportunity out of reach.
In 2026, that barrier was lifted as BFA opened doors, otherwise closed. As the inaugural recipient of the Bouddi Foundation for the Arts Philip Walker Overseas Scholarship — a $10,000 annual award supporting international arts study — Suzie is now pursuing the path she has worked toward for years.
A distinguished graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium, she has performed at the Sydney Opera House and taught and conducted across Sydney and the Central Coast. Her dedication, discipline, and unmistakable musical voice have long set her apart.
Suzie’s vision extends beyond her own career. After completing her studies, she hopes to return to Australia to help establish a Historically Informed Performance teaching program and bring more authentic Baroque performance to audiences nationwide, enriching the country’s musical landscape for generations.