FOSTER A POTTER WINNERS 2026

The Board of FOSTER A POTTER Ltd is thrilled to announce its three placements for 2026 in which students will undertake a negotiated period of workshop-based training with experienced ceramicists and potters.

TWO FOSTER A POTTER AWARDS OF $10,000:
Matt Almera (student), Cowaramup WA, working with Chester Nealie (mentor), Augusta WA
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Raymond Huynh (student), Sydney NSW, working with Simon Reece (mentor), Blackheath NSW
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THE ANNE MOSSMAN GRANT OF $5,000:
Kris Tay (student); Melbourne VIC, working with Maryke Henderson (mentor), Canberra ACT

FOSTER A POTTER received 11 applications. We thank the mentors and students who applied for placements, and we wish them all the very best in their ongoing pottery journeys.

We thank the FOSTER A POTTER panel – Sandy Lockwood, Steve Sheridan and Gerry Wedd – for their time spent considering the applications, and for sharing their thoughts with us.

SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE PANEL:
The strongest applications centred on the tacit knowledge the student hoped to gain through working alongside a mentor in a studio context. The student’s learning goals were clearly linked to the opportunities offered by the mentor, highlighting immersive, hands-on engagement to foster skill development. The mentor’s extensive and varied experience, as well as their proficiency in running a professional practice was also seen as a priority.

The selection process was thorough and equitable. The panel considered exhibitions, industry experience, education, and recent bodies of work, placing particular weight on the degree of time the mentor and student would spend working alongside one another, recognising that this is fundamental for learning through observation and practice. Applicants also conveyed strong motivation for participating in the program and articulated what they hoped to achieve from this shared experience.

The three successful students demonstrated a high calibre of practice and a strong commitment to ceramics through formal study, workshop participation, teaching experience, and volunteering with master potters.
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We are excited about these three placements, and we look forward to updating you on their progress throughout the year.

We are grateful for the generosity of Simon, Chester and Maryke in offering to share their lifetime of experience and knowledge with the next generation.

SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE WINNING TEAMS:

Matt Almera (student) and Chester Nealie (mentor)
Insta: @nine_lives_pottery
YouTube: ‘Chester Nealie’
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.”

Below: Matt Almera (left) with Chester Nealie in Chester’s studio

Raymond Huynh (student) and Simon Reece (mentor)
raymondhuynhart.com; Insta: @_raymond.huynh_
simonreece.com.au; Insta: @simonreececeramics
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.

Below: Raymond Huynh (left) and Simon Reece; photo: Harold David

Kris Tay (student) and Maryke Henderson (mentor)
Insta: @ktaypottery
Insta: @marykehenderson

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: Kris Tay (left) and Maryke Henderson

The Board would like to thank all the people who have donated to FOSTER A POTTER with money, pots or time. We receive no government funding, so it is truly inspirational that, thanks to our wonderful community of ‘muddy friends’, these placements are possible.

For more information, please contact:

Foster A Potter Ltd
Directors: Vicki Grima, Susie McIntosh and Jean McMaster
+61 (0)419 250 282 (Vicki)
E: fosterapotter@gmail.com
fosterapotter.com.au