Staff

Rauny has been working with the Tuggeranong Arts for over 7 years. A Tuggeranong resident herself for 20 years, she is passionate not only when it comes to the arts, but also about the development of community and the status of young people within community.  She spent many years working in the community sector, coordinating youth services for a local council and as director arts & culture for Belconnen Community Services.  Her early years working in Australia provided her with a deep appreciation of Australia’s First Nations Peoples . She had the privilege of 4 years of remote work in the Pilbara and the Western Desert of WA.  For Rauny the arts are one of the most important vehicles for creating awareness and challenging perceptions in a world where information can rarely be trusted and education systems struggle to keep up with a fast-paced world.

Caroline Wall, better known as Leena, is the Artistic Director of Fresh Funk. Caroline “Leena” Wall initiated the Tuggeranong Arts Centre’s “Fresh Funk” program in the year 2000, introducing hip-hop style classes to the ACT for the first time. Leena has a long history of dance training in various styles for (over 25years), as well as an Honours degree in English and Drama and her dance teaching qualifications from QUT. As the Fresh Funk program grew, Leena was nominated as Young Australian of the Year for her ground-breaking work in the dance community. Leena is known across the ACT and beyond as a pioneer of Canberra’s dance scene, working consistently with schools and other organisations to consult and teach. Leena travels annually overseas to train in LA, New York and/or Japan, and has performed in pieces by Tricia Miranda, Tony Tzar, Andre Fuentes, Matt Steffanina and many others.

Amanda has been working at Tuggeranong Arts Centre for over 7 years.  She is a local Tuggeranong resident and a strong advocate for the southside. Before joining the Arts Centre team, she worked in Indigenous archaeology and museum studies in north-west Queensland, but quickly found her place as an administrator overseeing various aspects of the centre’s daily operations: from venue hire, event management, staffing, Fresh Funk administration and day-to-day management of the centre itself.

Penny has many years of experience in the government and non-government arts and community sectors and has worked at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre for over 5 years as the Messengers Manager. She studied at the ANU School of Art in painting, printmaking, glass and book making and brings these skills when tutoring in the classes. She now combines both her passions for the arts and the community sector in the Messengers Program. Penny values the capacity for art making to heal and encourage social interactions and community building and brings this philosophy to the Messengers Program. She enjoys the energy and creativity of today’s teenagers and young people and looks forward to the world they will create in the future.

Kelsey has been with the Tuggeranong Arts Centre for five years and as youth support worker for the Messengers Program she is responsible for engaging and supporting young people through the program. Kelsey holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a major in Counselling from the University of Canberra. Recently she completed her fourth-year psychology thesis at the University of New England in which she investigated emotional intelligence and formal help-seeking for anxiety disorders.  In Messengers, Kelsey works creatively to engage young people back into their communities, build support networks, address challenges, and encourage young people to reach their goals. Kelsey is passionate about working with and empowering young people who experience mental health issues to reach their goals and she appreciates the powerful positive impacts that the arts have on personal wellbeing and mental health recovery. 

As Creative Producer Aidan is responsible for coordinating TAC’s Community Arts and Cultural Development program, working closely with artists and communities across the ACT and beyond. After growing up in regional Victoria, Aidan moved to Canberra to study at ANU where he completed a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) with majors in English and Film Studies. He was previously a creative producer for Canberra’s Noted Writers Festival and has experience in independent publishing. Aidan first joined the TAC team in 2016, bringing his hospitality experience and love of the arts to TAC’s events and front of house. Since moving into the creative producer role, he has relished the opportunity to support artists and communities to develop and present work that is bold, challenging and contemporary. Aidan is a strong supporter of everyday creativity and the importance artistic expression for all. Since childhood, he has himself dabbled in many different creative pursuits…

Cassidy is responsible for promoting TAC’s creative program of events, exhibitions and classes and workshops. She is your point of call for anything related to media and marketing, including the website, e-news, social media and advertising and design.

Karena Keys graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts from the Painting workshop at ANU School of Art (Honours) and from Sydney College of the Arts with a Masters of Fine Art. Karena has maintained her arts practice while working in a variety of roles within the arts sector including, Visual Arts Educator and Public Programs Officer at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Gallery Manager at A.N.C.A Inc.  At TAC Karena is looking forward to building upon the centre’s connections with Contemporary Arts and the Tuggeranong Community.

Blaide is excited to be the Woden Arts Officer and is committed to creating community led accessible arts experience to enrich audiences in the Woden district. This will be achieved through community workshops, exhibitions, performances and pop up events with local artists to create a vibrant and dynamic exchange with residents and businesses. Blaide is looking forward to hearing the voices of the Woden community where they can share their stories and create positive experiences. Blaide is an artist who works across a range of mediums. She is interested in creating an accessible multifaceted arts experience where audiences are often invited to participate and generate the evolution of the work. Since finishing a Bachelor of Visual Arts at the Australian National University in 2003, Blaide has worked at the National Gallery of Australia.

With many years’ experience working in the arts and finance Peter’s analytical skills and easygoing approach are an asset to the Tuggeranong Arts Centre.

Tom Buckland is a practicing artist that has worked at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre in several roles over the last few years. Bringing his creativity and practical knowledge to the team, Tom has been involved in many projects including decorating spaces, installing exhibitions and also exhibiting his own work at TAC.  Alongside this, Tom works at our front of house on weekends and assists TAC with events.