Our Boonah Creative Arts Studio celebrates 30 years of creativity and inclusion

November 10, 2025

This year marks 30 years since the Boonah Creative Arts Studio first opened its doors, offering people living with disability a space to explore their creativity, learn new skills and connect with others.

Run by CatholicCare, Boonah is now based in West Pymble, but its roots go back to 1995 when it began as a small art program in Wahroonga. Over three decades, it has grown into a thriving community studio where artists can express themselves freely and be supported to develop their talents in an inclusive environment.

For Dionne, one of Boonah’s artists who first joined in 1997, Boonah has become a central part of life. “It was a really small group back then,” she says. “Before Boonah, I didn’t really like art and hadn’t done it before.” Today, Dionne loves to paint big landscapes, seascapes and flowers, and she has developed an interest in the art of Ken Done.

After being retrenched from her retail job, Dionne’s mother found out about Boonah, and she’s been coming ever since. “I come on Mondays and Thursdays,” she says. “My life would be boring without it. I’d move in if I could – there’s even a shower here!”

Her group home recently commissioned her to create six Australian-themed canvases, including one of Uluru. “Her room is covered top to bottom with paintings,” says Boonah Activity Leader, Cadence. Dionne hopes that when people see her art, they feel happy and proud.

Margaret Lee joined Boonah as a staff member in 1999, bringing with her a background in mapping and a love of weaving and textiles. “I had done a weaving course at TAFE and wanted to share it,” she says. “One artist who couldn’t speak and didn’t like touching anything responded immediately to working with yarn. The sensory experience had a profound impact on her.”

Margaret spent 25 years working with Boonah’s artists and says the experience changed her. “I’d hand someone a toothbrush thinking they’d use the bristles to paint, but they’d turn it around and use the handle to make something amazing,” she says. “The artists taught me that if something isn’t important, don’t worry about it.”

Boonah Activity Leader, Cadence says Boonah continues to thrive because it focuses on people first. “We’ve had ten new artists join this year and we’re at capacity,” she says. “Our goal is to give each person a safe space to create and be themselves. In the last two years, I’ve seen so much growth – not just in art skills but in confidence and independence.”

“Artists can bring their own support workers, which helps them feel comfortable and supported,” Cadence explains. “If someone’s had the same support person for 20 years, bringing them along makes a huge difference.”

Cadence says that while not every day starts easy, art has a way of turning things around. “Someone might arrive saying they’re having a bad day,” she says. “By the end of the session, they’re sketching or painting something. There’s a calm that comes with being here.”

To celebrate Boonah’s 30th anniversary, this year’s exhibition will highlight the impact and evolution of Boonah over three decades. For staff, artists and families, it’s a chance to reflect on what Boonah has meant to so many people – a creative home where ability is never a barrier.

“People always tell us Boonah is like nowhere else,” Cadence says. “It’s a place where everyone belongs, and everyone is encouraged to be themselves.”

Dionne agrees. “Everyone should come to Boonah,” she says with a grin. “You won’t want to leave.”

You can purchase our incredible artworks online here.