South Coast Arts is governed by a skills based Board of Directors

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Our Board of Directors is a volunteer & skills based board of ten, including three Council representatives

Marla Guppy
Chair
Marla Guppy

Marla Guppy is an artist, cultural planner and public art strategist. A commitment to regional futures has seen her lead a range of projects that support cultural environments and community identity. She was Artist in Community at Garage Graphix and later a founding member of the Australia Council’s Community, Environment, Art, & Design (CEAD) Committee which provided support for collaborative art & design projects. As a strong advocate for cultural sustainability in urban Australia, Marla received the Ros Bower Memorial Award from Paul Keating for her work in community cultural development. Over the last thirty years Marla has directed Guppy Art Management, a Shoalhaven based creative consultancy which continues to work extensively with artists, planners, design professionals, community groups and government on creative projects across Australia.

Rosalind Moffatt
Deputy Chair
Rosalind Moffatt

Rosalind serves as a solicitor at Arts Law, a not-for-profit organization offering legal guidance to artists nationwide. With dual qualifications as an Irish and NSW solicitor, she specializes in commercial contracts, licensing, copyright, consumer law, and indigenous cultural and intellectual property. She holds a Master's degree from Queen Mary, University of London. A staunch advocate for the arts, Rosalind is also a successful business owner in the South Coast. Her advocacy extends to empowering artists to understand and assert their rights. Joining the South Coast Arts Board is a privilege for Rosalind. She aims to be a vocal supporter of local artists and contribute to the flourishing arts scene in the Kiama, Shellharbour, and Shoalhaven districts.

Nick Guggisberg
Treasurer
Nick Guggisberg

Nick spent his early adult years playing music and touring Australia, including seven years in Alice Springs, where he joined the local Aboriginal band Amunda and performed with Frank Yamma and Nokturnal. His musical journey took him from remote Aboriginal communities to major festivals like Big Day Out, Womadelaide, and Corroboree 2000 (Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk for Reconciliation). Eventually, Nick pursued formal qualifications in Social Work, leading to over two decades in the community development sector. He served as the Manager of Community & Cultural Development for Kiama Council for over ten years. Nick has also held multiple governance roles, including Board Director of Kiama Community College Inc. (2003-2023), Management Committee member of Illawarra Legal Centre (2006-2014), and Chairperson of Central Illawarra Youth Service Management Committee (2000-2005).

Kingston Anderson
Board Member
Kingston Anderson

Kingston Anderson is currently the Executive Director of the Australian Guild of Screen Composers, representing over 500 composers nationwide. With over three decades in the performing arts, he is an accomplished theatre director and film producer. His extensive experience includes directing theatre productions for most Australian State Theatre Companies, managing a regional theatre company, and producing numerous documentaries for film and TV, as well as a feature film. Kingston is also actively involved in various local and international boards. Currently, he serves on the board of the Culburra Beach Festival and the Arts Committee of Service and Creative Skills Australia (SACSA), established by the Federal Government to train the next generation of cultural workers. He is committed to enhancing the reach of the arts on the South Coast through his work with South Coast Arts.

Jaz Corr
Board Member
Jaz Corr

Jaz is an Aboriginal Visual Artist residing on the South Coast of NSW, Australia. A proud Dharawal woman, Jaz holds a Bachelor of Arts with a Double Major in Fine Art and Visual Culture from Curtin University, Western Australia (Boodja), and a Master of Education in Visual Arts from the University of Wollongong. Her art reflects a critical view of social, political, cultural, and environmental issues, demonstrating effective visual communication in both studio practice and art critical discourse. Jaz has exhibited her work in various prestigious venues, including Sapporo Japan, Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, Sydney Living Museum, Gerringong Library and Museum, Illawarra Aboriginal Corporation Cultural Centre, Nan Tien Art Gallery, and featured on the ABC.

Amy Lawry
Board Member
Amy Lawry

Amy is a creative, illustrator, and designer who also works in student support for the Country Universities Centre Southern Shoalhaven in Ulladulla. Growing up in Adelaide, she was immersed in the arts, with a working musician for a mother, giving her an acute awareness of the barriers practising artists face in developing their careers. This awareness fuels her continued motivation and focus on supporting emerging artists and facilitating opportunities and resilience. Since moving to New South Wales in 1998, Amy has served on numerous arts boards and event committees. She combines a strong connection with the hospitality industry, having won a gold award at the Tasting Australia festival and managed and owned establishments. Amy advocates for the symbiotic relationship between the arts and hospitality, believing that the foundation for success starts from a healthy local cultural ecosystem. This involves nurturing talent, inspiring creative culture within the community, supporting venues, and forging pathways for artists through regional alliances and mutual exchange.

Patrice Wills
Board Member
Patrice Wills

With decades of experience in education, mental health, and visual arts, Patrice now lives on Jerrinja country in the Shoalhaven, operating from a home studio focused on her professional arts practice. Patrice holds tertiary qualifications in teaching visual arts and counselling, bringing extensive experience in public programming with a focus on access and engagement. She has worked extensively with marginalised and diverse audiences in community and educational settings, including remote First Nations’ cultural organisations, urban health services, and regional arts organisations. Patrice regularly exhibits her work and has been featured in leading art exhibitions, including the 2023 Archibald Prize. Her art is represented in private and public collections around Australia.

Cr Imogen Draisma
Kiama Municipal Council
Cr Imogen Draisma

Imogen Draisma is Deputy Mayor of Kiama Municipal Council and has lived in the Kiama area since a young age, attending Kiama and Minnamurra public schools. She completed her school education at Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts and is currently completing a double degree, Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws at the University of Wollongong. During her university studies, Imogen has been a student activist with a particular interest in ensuring that the pandemic-impacted university provides the services and supports that the student community needs. She has worked for members of the NSW and Australian parliaments. Imogen is one of the youngest politicians in Australia and sees diversity as a core value of public life.

Cr Robert Petreski
Shellharbour City Council
Cr Robert Petreski

Robert Petreski is a Shellharbour City Councilor who was born in the Illawarra and has lived in Shellharbour for over 30 years. Robert works for the NSW Department of Education as a High School Teacher and has an Honours Degree in Design & Technology plus qualifications in Training & Assessment, Information Technology and Electrotechnology. He completed an Apprenticeship as an Electronics Technician, won the Apprentice of the Year Award, Australian World Skills Gold Medal, St George Youth Endeavour Award and was a semi-finalist in the Young Australian of the Year Awards. Robert established, built and sold a thriving local Electronics business in the region. His formal qualification in Design and Technology gives him a genuine insight and appreciation for well-functioning, aesthetic design where form meets function.

Cr Tonia Gray
Shoalhaven City Council
Cr Tonia Gray

Tonia Gray is a Shoalhaven Councillor with an enduring interest in the Arts. Inspired by her mother who was a landscape artist and potter, Tonia continues to infuse arts-based practice and creative teaching methods in her University lecturing.  With a Masters in Community Health and a PhD in Education, Tonia’s research explores human-nature relationships and their impact on health and well-being. In 2014 Tonia received the prestigious Australian Award for University Teaching for excellence in outdoor experiential education, and in 2019, she received the International Association of Experiential Education’s Distinguished Researcher of the Year.   As an academic, she has worked closely with Bundanon to evaluate their highly successful ‘Touched by the Earth' Arts program and has presented the findings at multiple EcoArts and Environmental Education conferences, both nationally and internationally.