Next Level Fellowship Recipients

2025 recipients received $8,000 for 12 months of project delivery and professional development.

Laura Sikes | South West

For The Light Between Worlds, Laura will create new photographic works for her first solo exhibition at Arts Narrogin (June 2026). The process includes studio and on-location shoots, mentorship from Astrid Volzke and Claire Billie Bushby, and a website documenting the project’s evolution from concept to exhibition.

Emily O’Brien | Great Southern

Emily O’Brien’s ‘The Girl with the Colourful Mind’ is a dance work exploring autism, mental health, and self-acceptance. This fellowship will expand its production, supported by Assembly 197 and DADAA, with mentorship from Jessica Ruggera and Annette Carmichael. The theme: It’s OK not to be OK.

Karrak Gregory | South West

Karrak’s project is for the production, release, and marketing of his debut 4-song EP, along with a music video for one track. It will involve songwriting, recording, and visual storytelling, supported by marketing mentorship from Sinead O’Hara. The work explores personal narratives through music and imagery.

2024 recipients received $8,000 for 12 months of project delivery and professional development.

Robbie Fieldwick |  Peel

Robbie Fieldwick will be mentored by regional touring expert Whiskey and Boots to learn planning, pitching, networking and budgeting. The mentorship will support the creation of an original community engagement package and further develop Robbie’s devised theatre production ‘promethe(us)’.

Tahnee Carter | Kimberley

Tahnee Carter will write the first draft of her fantasy novel “Koa”, exploring environmentalism, psychology, and philosophy through a First Nations tribesman’s journey in a unique fantasy world. With mentorship from Mykaela Saunders and support from the Goolarri Writers Group, Tahnee will celebrate her First Nations heritage and develop a fresh take on the fantasy genre.

Amberley Milne | South West

Musician Amberley Milne will attend a songwriting retreat and work with local producer Jame Newhouse to record, mix, and master three new tracks. She will also produce a music video and develop her social media and digital platforms, establishing her branding.

Amy Reeves | Kimberley

2024 Australian Idol runner-up Amy Reeves will develop and deliver a series of songwriting and music industry career-building workshops at local high schools and primary schools in the Kimberley region. The Fellowship will enable her to expand her skills-base and build local networks while giving back to the community that supported her during her Australian Idol experience.

Jessica Le Monnier | Goldfields-Esperance

Jessica Le Monnier will participate in two professional development mentorships: one focused on expanding her technical ceramic abilities with artist Krystal Obschonka, and another on developing her workshop facilitation skills with art teacher and artistic director Marcia Leonard.

Emmett Rose | Peel
Emmett will receive mentorship from storytelling theatre company, Whiskey and Boots. Under the mentorship, Emmett Rose will develop and present a performance of their own contemporary theatre show, which will be based on stories collected from the public.

Georgia Deguara | Kimberley
Georgia will collaborate with Perth web and digital design agency, Start Digital to learn how to better showcase her current work online. Georgia hopes to upskill her online knowledge to benefit future projects, become a better arts worker, and to increase her scope as an artist.

Savanah Solomon | Wheatbelt
Savanah will record, release and promote an EP of her original songs. The release will be launched with a free community event in the Wheatbelt.

Mio Angela Gadon | Gascoyne
Mio will develop a solo exhibition of her illustrations, exploring the theme of a quarter life crisis, from her perspective of being a migrant from the Philippines.

Abby Garratt | South West
Abby will write, direct and produce her second short film titled Paradise Valley, a feminist western set in the late 19th century and filmed on location at heritage buildings around her hometown of Manjimup.

Jacob Gregory | Kimberley
Jacob will work with Scott Griffiths of Downsyde to further refine his skills in writing, recording and producing hip hop music. Together, they will collaborate on five new tracks which will be launched at a performance at Goolarri Media’s Gimme Club.

Leah Vlatko | Mid West
Leah will create a body of work for her first solo exhibition, an exploration of fungi through the medium of crochet. She will further develop her skills and experience as a textile artist, learning from mentors and experienced artists across the Mid West region.

Joo Tan | Pilbara
Joo is the recipient of the inaugural KingKira Next Level Grant. Joo will be mentored by established curator Anna Louise Richardson, where she will develop skills to curate her first exhibition working with Pilbara youth groups as part of the Open Borders project.

Brooke Collard | Kimberley | $7,500

Brooke will collaborate with respected Noongar Elder Pop Koordah, in the development of a documentary which will contribute to an enhanced understanding of her own Noongar heritage and support her practice as a writer and producer to tell compelling and authentic stories from a First Nation’s perspective.  

Codee-Lee Down | South West | $7,500

Codee-Lee will co-write two songs with US singer songwriter Katrina Burgoyne and work with a range of established WA based music professionals to build her capacity and skills in commercial and creative practice and will result in the launch of an EP. She will also undertake online training in digital media content development and distribution which will assist to raise her online profile.  

Niamh Hurley | Peel | $7,500

Niamh will develop and implement a music development program for young musicians and artists, building on her recent success in establishing new live music events in the Peel region. This grant will support her to establish herself as a young leader, build networks within the broader sector, and strengthen her knowledge and capacity to design and implement effective cultural development projects. 

Rose Barton | Pilbara | 7,500

Rose will dedicate herself to expanding her practice into digital, sculptural and written forms through several mentorships with skilled regional artists and creatives, aiming to raise her online profile and create a body of work for her first solo exhibition scheduled for presentation at the Cossack Gallery, Pilbara. 

Megan Lemon | Goldfields-Esperance | $7,360

Megan will be mentored by Esperance based theatre technician Timothy Currie to build capacity, skills and knowledge in the operation of sound and lighting equipment to support performing arts presentation in a variety of multi-use venues and regional locations. She will also attend the 2022 Tech West conference to build networks within the WA tech sector. 

Bridget Baldock | Mid West | $4,380

Emerging artist and arts worker Bridget Baldock (19) will develop two frameworks for engaging community arts workshops under the mentorship of qualified art psychotherapist Janeen Cameron. The frameworks will be delivered as, one for community art activities, and one for workshops to be co-facilitated with mental healthcare providers in the Mid West region. The workshops will be targeted for children, youth, and people with disabilities.

Mana Bennett | South West | $5,000

Yallingup filmmaker, musician and writer, Mana Bennett (20) will work on the development of two new collaborative works with South West artists, furthering development of creative skills through experimentation. Through this project Mana will produce a short film based in the South west and begin the development of a full-length feature film screenplay / treatment.

Rose (penname Sita) Bennett | South West | $5,000

Writer Rose Bennett (24), penname Sita Bennett, will work with established editor Ine De Baerdemaker and designer Thea Nicolescu in the development and publishing of her second and third novels, sequels to Maya of the In-between. Rose will be supported by a mentor to refine skills in marketing and distribution as a self-published writer.

She also co-creates films with her brother Frank Bennett. They are currently in-Production on their second short film The Dance of Samsara that they co-wrote together, in which Rose also plays the leading actor. They are also working on developing a feature film script.

Bronte Berenger | Kimberley | $4,960

Visual artist Bronte Berenger (26) will explore, develop and promote a new series of prints and sculptures culminating in a solo exhibition. Bronte intends to facilitate printmaking and art workshops with young people and the broader community in Broome while developing her skills through Printmaking courses over the year.

Dane Yates | Mid West | $4,500

Emerging sound designer Dane Yates (26) will undertake a collaborative research, development and delivery project for a new dance film. This will be created within the empty exhibition space of the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery (GRAG) with fellow regional collaborators, dance artist Talitha Maslin and film-maker Brendan Polain. This project’s development and the resulting film will then be streamed as an online exhibition through the galleries website, creating context for the absence of art in the wake of COVID19, and comment on the lack of support infrastructure we have all experienced throughout the crisis, while offering a hopeful glimpse at our post-COVID world.

All of the below recipients received funding for 2 years of project delivery and professional development.

Cassandra Turner | Great Southern | $4,500

Albany circus performer Cassandra Turner (24) will attend a Circus Training Australia course in Melbourne at the beginning of October. Upon returning to Albany, she will conduct a series of workshops to put into practice and share the skills and knowledge gained.

Mitchell Martin | South West | $5,000

Bunbury-based singer songwriter Mitchell Martin (21) will work with award-winning sound engineer James Newhouse at Real2Real studio in Bunbury. The multi-instrumentalist will record six new tracks to form his second album. The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) student has been performing live for more than five years and has more than 2,500 subscribers to his YouTube channel where he regularly shares covers and his own original songs.

Minna Hilton | Mid West | $4,700

Emerging arts manager Minna (19) accidentally stumbled across her passion for producing and managing when she helped produce her school’s play four years ago. The Geraldton-based teenager is now looking to turn that passion into a lasting career. Under the guidance of an experienced mentor, she will participate in four training courses focusing on different areas of arts management in WA and Adelaide as well as gain firsthand experience by shadowing festival producers at two upcoming events – Side Splitter in Cockburn (Nov 18), and Funtavia, Geraldton’s own FringeWorld hub (Feb 19).

Casey Thornton | Wheatbelt | $5,000

Narrogin-based visual artist Casey Thornton (26) will put her skills under a new level of pressure as she works towards her first solo exhibition. She will work closely with Karen Keeley, an experienced visual artist, educator and mentor to prepare and host a 30-piece exhibition at Narrogin Exhibition Space (NEXIS) in May 2019.