FOSTER A POTTER AWARD OF $10,000
Matt Almera (student) and Chester Nealie (mentor)
January to December 2026, Wadandi Boodja (Augusta WA)
Matt Almera will be working and woodfiring alongside Chester Nealie. Matt says, “At this stage of my practice, the FOSTER A POTTER placement will be hugely beneficial as I feel ready to move toward full-time studio pottery. Chester has considerable skills developed over a 60-year career that I want to learn and incorporate into my own practice, as well as preserve and pass on to contemporaries and the next generation of potters. The stipend will relieve some financial pressure and allow me to focus on learning and making.”
Follow their journey on Instagram HERE.
Below: Matt Almera (left) with Chester Nealie in Chester’s studio
FOSTER A POTTER AWARD OF $10,000
Raymond Huynh (student) and Simon Reece (mentor)
April to December 2026; Dharug & Gundungurra, (Blackheath NSW)
Raymond Huynh will be working beside master potter, Simon Reece, in his Blue Mountains studio. Raymond says, “The Foster a Potter program means that I will have a career-changing opportunity to study under, and with, Simon Reece. Through this placement, I will be able to experience a dedicated period of time to explore production, craft, and tableware, with a very experienced and skilled mentor. I hope to diversify and upskill my practice, while observing and hearing Simon’s thoughts and opinions in relation to the pragmatics of balancing, maintaining, and navigating a broad practice of exhibition work, production, commissions, running a studio etc.”
Follow their journey on Instagram HERE.
Below: Raymond Huynh (left) and Simon Reece (right); photo: Harold David
THE ANNE MOSSMAN AWARD OF $5,000
Kris Tay (student) and Maryke Henderson (mentor)
January to December 2026; Ngunnawal and Ngambri (Canberra ACT)
This practical, studio-based mentorship will build Kris’s capability in soda firing and kiln construction. Kris says, “Foster a Potter’s support will give me the opportunity to learn directly from master potter and soda-firer, Maryke Henderson. Through this mentorship, I’ll focus on soda-firing and kiln construction, while developing disability-informed ways to sustain a ceramics and soda-firing practice. The program will give me the space to explore how accessibility and creativity can shape one another, helping ensure ceramics remains open and inclusive for people of all bodies.”
Below: Maryke Henderson (left) and Kris Tay (right)
FOSTER A POTTER 