EXHIBITION | ‘All the best, from Martin Edge’

At: Pine Rivers Art Gallery, Moreton Bay Regional Council

Location: 130 - 134 Gympie Road, Strathpine

Dates: December 2023 - March 2024

See the world through the eyes of local artist Martin Edge. The Pine Rivers Art Gallery becomes an inclusive, playful, sensory experience of Martin’s wonderous world. Drawing from Martin's memories, All the best, from Martin Edge will share moments from his life, be they everyday, whimsical, or monumental.

This project has been produced in collaboration with Pia Robinson from The Culture Crusader, working with a number of neurodivergent artists and creatives to transport you into the wonderful world of Martin Edge.

Martin Edge is a celebrated painter who has been working as a professional artist for the past 15 years. Exhibiting consistently since 2008, Martin has earned national and international recognition. Besides his art practice, Martin is a proud ambassador for Autism Queensland.

The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

All the best, from Martin Edge is an art exhibition developed by Moreton Bay Regional Council in partnership with Pia Robinson.

PUBLIC ART | ‘I SEE, MARTIN EDGE’

At: World Science Festival Brisbane’s ‘Curciocity Brisbane’

Location: Picnic Island Green, Southbank Parklands

Dates: 22 March to 2 April 2023

Curiocity Brisbane Exhibition as part of the World Science Festival delivered by Queensland Museum.

“My artworks are like a ‘memory jog’ of each adventure, but I also like to use my own imagination and creativity to paint the scene how I see or remember it.” Martin Edge

Queensland artist and proud ambassador for Autism Queensland, Martin Edge, captures and reflects his perspective of the world through recreating memorable moments and recollections, filtered through his imagination.

Martin’s art-making process of reconnecting collages of memory-fragments enables us to see what Martin sees—the wonderment of our world from the mundane to the whimsical.

Through this installation, viewers experience a number of Martin’s artworks upscaled into playscapes set within Southbank’s Picnic Garden. This includes Martin’s latest artwork Martin’s Painting Day that explores the artist’s most sacred and private place—his studio.

For the first time ever, Martin’s artwork will come to life through activating this new artwork via Augmented Reality, allowing viewers to delve deeper into Martin’s world.

PANEL DISCUSSION | How cultural experiences can contribute to accessible and inclusive tourism?

At: The Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Conference in the Asia Pacific 2023 (AITCAP 2023)

Location: Seaworld Convention Centre, Gold Coast

Date: 28 April 2023

The Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Conference in the Asia-Pacific (AITCAP) is a yearly event that provides all tourism stakeholders (businesses, tour operators, policy makers, DMOs) with an opportunity to:

LEARN how to cater to the valuable accessible & inclusive market to promote sustainable growth

CONNECT with each other to create momentum and contribute to the upgrowth of the sector.

The team behind Martin and friends lead and contributed to a panel as part of the 2023 Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Conversation in Asia Pacific delivered by Getaboutable.com.

Industry leaders joined the team to discuss 'How cultural tourism can contribute to accessible & inclusive tourism' including Dr Janice Rieger from Queensland University of Technology, and Anna Carrol from Home of the Arts (HOTA).

The panel presented case studies in building accessible & inclusive cultural experiences with industry professionals, academics, and artists working in inclusive arts engagement sharing their lived-experiences, learnings and aspirations for the sector and visitor experience to be accessible for all.

Did you know that 20% of travellers have a disability? Catering for this market is a huge business opportunity! This conference covered how to build better destinations, make travel more accessible, and promote inclusivity in the industry.

ANIMATION/ AUGMENTED REALITY (AR) | ‘Martin’s Painting Day’

Animation activated through Augmented Reality (AR)

Launched during the World Science Festival, for the first time we activated a new painting by Martin Edge titled ‘Martin’s Painting Day’ into an animation which is now available as an activation via augmented reality experience that can be activated anywhere.

Imbedding innovative arts experiences through the use of technology (such as AR activations through your phone), increases the reach of an arts experiences as they can be activated anywhere.

BOOKABLE PROGRAM | 'I SEE YOU, YOU SEE ME'

Artist Martin Edge explores the unique way he sees the world allowing us to see him. Through this children’s program, we invite participants to see themselves next to Martin by creating their very own self-portraits to play through Martin’s world. Colour in and create self-portraits on magnets in this play-based makerspace workshop.

COLOURING-IN | ‘Curiocity Brisbane’

Downloadable PDF

Martin wants his art to be for everyone, and a part of the process of making arts engagement more accessible is the development of accompanying colour-in sheets for participants can further see the world through Martin’s perspective.

Colouring in is also proven to be good for your mental wellbeing.

IN CONVERSATION | ‘Uncomfortable spaces – Radical disability inclusion through sensory play in cultural spaces’ with Michelle Vine

At: Australia Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA) National Conference 2023, Discomfort

Location: Murrook Cultural Centre, Newcastle

Date: 16 May 2023

Disability access in cultural institutions is a topic growing in visibility, but meaningful change can often be stalled by the scale of necessary implementation. Institutions want to meet accessibility goals, but what are the conversations, challenges and practical solutions needed to achieve meaningful long-term change? How can we turn uncomfortable institutional spaces into safe sensory spaces for diverse audiences?

In this in conversation artist, academic and disability advocate, Michelle Vine, along with cultural producer Pia Robinson, collectively discuss their innovative practices, research and insights drawn from lived experience of disability and neurodivergence.

This discussion will explored practical steps to make real change that can start now. It will draw from current exhibition projects including Vine’s most recent exhibition Soft Touch, the development of which was a unique experience in which the artist challenged the host gallery to take up the baton of greater inclusion. Robinson will share insights from her ongoing collaboration with artist Martin Edge, with whom she is producing a collaborative touring show with other neurodivergent artists, showcasing innovative sensory safe experiences for everyone.

AMaGA 2023 saw 500 physical delegates from across Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific and international join together on the traditional lands of the Awabakal and Worimi peoples, to explore how areas of discomfort are being identified, acknowledged and addressed by museums and galleries in local and global contexts.

WORKSHOP & COMMUNITY ACTIVATION | A Suburban Dream

At: Pine Rivers Herritage Museum

Location: Old Petrie Town, Whiteside

Date: 7 May 2023

Local artists, Martin Edge and Pia Robinson presented a drawing and collage workshop inspired by participants suburban local dream.

Local artist, Martin Edge, is renowned for his local landscapes and iconic places. As part of A Suburban Dream exhibition, Martin has created some drawings of his favourite Moreton Bay places which he will share during this program.

Local artist, Pia Robinson, recently made her Moreton Bay suburban dream a reality by building her own house during the pandemic. Drawing and redrawing this dream was a huge part of this process. From a family of architects, architectural drawings including the method of laying has always played a huge part of Pia’s art practice.

Martin and Pia have been collaborating over the years on varying projects. For A Suburban Dream they brought their multi-point perspectives in this family friendly collage and drawing workshop.

Some of Martin’s drawings formed the basis of a growing community activation within the museum.

WINNING PITCH | 'Enabling through Augmented Reality (AR)’

At: Moreton Bay Regional Council & Innovate Moreton Bay's inaugural ‘Creative Industries Demo Day’

Location: The Hub Caboolture

Date: 4 May 2022

Extremely humbled that The Culture Crusader was selected as the overall winner for the Moreton Bay Regional Council & Innovate Moreton Bay's first ‘Creative Industries Demo Day’ with a pitch on our up-and-coming project 'Martin and friends' - profiling one of the Moreton Bay Region's national art treasures Martin Edge through an inclusive & innovative cultural engagement offering launching in 2023.

On the day, there were 6 diverse presentations of local stories revealing a strong passion and drive for the region. This was particularly inspiring to hear with our region on the cusp of incredible growth, our local creative sector needs to be at the front pathing the way.

BUT the best part is definitely the prize - to spend a whole year with Queensland AI Hub growing & learning & absorbing.

In 2021, Pia Robinson was successful in being a recipient for the 2021-22 MATCH Lab Program as part of the Creative Partnerships Australia (now Creative Australia) for the ‘Martin and friends’ project.

MATCH Lab is a matched funding program for independent artists and groups. It’s for artists looking to run a fundraising campaign, and build their fundraising and arts business skills.

It supports artists to increase their knowledge of philanthropy and arts partnerships, develop broader arts business knowledge and create sustainable sources of revenue for their work into the future.

MATCH Lab is more than just a funding program; it emphasises long-term skills development.

Covering a range of artforms from across all States and Territories, 26 independent artists and collectives have been selected from an impressive 63 applications for 2021-22 MATCH Lab Program.

The successful MATCH Lab participants will take part in a two-day professional development clinic Raising Money for your Art in November 2021, supporting them to build their fundraising skills, gain a broader arts business knowledge, and create sustainable sources of revenue for their work. Following on from this workshop, they will complete a fundraising campaign with Creative Partnerships Australia matching what they raise dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000 per project.