Melissa Hoedel Creative

26/05/2026

Still reflecting on TEDxBrisbane at the Thomas Dixon Centre, Queensland Ballet a few weeks ago.

What stayed with me most wasn’t only the individual talks, but the collective themes running across the day - accessibility, identity, systems, belonging, education, design, entrepreneurship, media, regenerative thinking and community.

With my Heritage Hands Hands exhibition still installed within the Thomas Dixon Centre during the event, I found myself reflecting on how strongly these ideas also connect to heritage, storytelling and craftsmanship.

Because living heritage is not simply about preserving the past.

It’s about participation.
Knowledge sharing.
Identity.
Belonging.
Human connection.
And the importance of creating spaces where stories, skills and communities can continue to evolve together.

The speaker lineup was extraordinary, with thought-provoking talks from Jordi Luke, Nicole Dyson, Santiago Velasquez, Molly McCluskey, Heather Anderson, Bill Ovenden, Lotti Tajouri, Fleur Madden, Abbas Shafiee and Kate Fisher continuing to spark reflection long after the day itself.

A huge congratulations to the TEDxBrisbane team, volunteers and speakers for such a beautifully curated and thought-provoking event.

~ Melissa

25/05/2026

With National Volunteer Week having just wrapped up, I’ve been reflecting on the importance of volunteer recognition - not simply as gratitude, but as culture.

During my time with Brisbane Open House, one of the initiatives I was proud to help develop was a volunteer gratitude and recognition program, including the introduction of milestone 5 and 10 year volunteer pins.

I also introduced small touches designed to make volunteers feel genuinely valued and looked after throughout the festival - from on-brand volunteer snack packs to more visible recognition moments across the program.

For many organisations, volunteers are the first people audiences meet.

🫶 They hold institutional knowledge.
🫶 They advocate for places and stories.
🫶 They create warmth, care and connection.

Often, they return year after year because they deeply believe in the purpose behind the work.

There was something incredibly meaningful about presenting these pins in person - hearing stories from volunteers who had contributed across years of programs, conversations, audiences and experiences.

Across heritage, arts, festivals and community organisations, volunteers are not simply “helpers”.

They are custodians of culture, memory and belonging.
They are ambassadors for our cities, communities and stories.

As I continue building future cultural and heritage initiatives - from Heritage Hands and future festival programming, through to larger-scale cultural projects currently in development across South East Queensland - I keep returning to the same thought:

The reality is, meaningful community and cultural experiences are built collectively.

Volunteers shape the atmosphere.
They create the welcome.
They hold conversations together.
They bring care, generosity and humanity into shared spaces.

Quite simply, many of the experiences that make communities feel connected would not exist without them.

To everyone who contributes their time, energy and heart to community and cultural life - thank you.

📸 Images: Brisbane Open House / Photography by Ryan Aude

25/05/2026

Honoured to see the Villages of Brisbane: New Farm program, which I produced as part of Brisbane Open House 2024 during my time as Executive Director, recognised as a finalist in the National Trust Heritage Awards.

This project was always about far more than buildings. It was about storytelling, neighbourhood identity, memory, public conversation and the ways communities connect through place.

Developed in collaboration with the New Farm & Districts Historical Society, the program brought together guided walks, talks and heritage interpretation exploring the layered cultural history of New Farm.

A huge thank you to everyone involved - particularly Robert Allen, Santina Musumeci, Gerard Benjamin and the many contributors, volunteers and audiences who helped bring the program to life.

I also want to acknowledge architect Peter Roy, whose contribution to Brisbane’s cultural landscape - particularly through the Brisbane Powerhouse redevelopment - was immense. It now feels especially meaningful that the program included what would become one of Peter’s final public conversations before his passing earlier this year.

Projects like this continue to reinforce for me how important thoughtful public heritage engagement is - and the role cultural programming can play in shaping connection, understanding and belonging within our cities.

The best of heritage came together for a wonderful evening at Brisbane's Tattersall's Club last night 🏛️ — a perfect finale to the Australian Heritage Festival as we celebrated the Queensland Heritage Awards 2026!

Thank you to our special guest and Patron of National Trust Queensland Governor of Queensland Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM and the Honourable Andrew Powell, along with 160 guests in attendance.

Congratulations to all of this year's incredible winners, with Emma Scragg taking out the prestigious John Herbert Memorial Award for the project - Monto Open Doors presented by Her Excellency.

These awards recognise the architects, conservationists, councils, researchers, and community groups protecting Queensland's cultural identity.

🏆 JOHN HERBERT MEMORIAL AWARD
Emma Scragg Architect — Monto Open Doors (North Burnett Region)

🏆 SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS 2019–2022
Cultural Heritage Services / Sunshine Coast Council — Sunshine Coast Heritage Plan

🏆 ADAPTIVE REUSE
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service — Cape Pallarenda Quarantine Station, Building 11 Adaptive Reuse (Townsville)

🏆 FIRST NATIONS
Stanley River Environmental Education Centre & Australian Heritage Specialists — Bunya to the Bay Project

🏆 HERITAGE REPORTS · RESOURCES · PUBLICATIONS
Dr Lisa Marie Daunt — Constructing Faith in the Antipodes: Modern Church Architecture in Queensland 1945–1977

🏆 INTERPRETATION · EXHIBITION · TOURS · COLLECTIONS · INTERIORS · OBJECTS
Emma Scragg Architect — Monto Open Doors (North Burnett Region)

🏆 LANDSCAPE
Climate Vulnerability Index — CVI Gondwana Rainforests – Queensland Section - James Cook University, Scott Heron

🏆 BUILT CONSERVATION
Andrew Ladlay Architect — Gympie Memorial Bandstand Conservation

What an extraordinary couple of years for Queensland heritage. Here's to all those working tirelessly to keep our stories, places and culture alive for generations to come, and congratulations to all the winners and project that received High Commendations.

Full List is available vist:http://brnw.ch/21x2FZP

17/04/2026

A quiet milestone for this work.

Recently, one of my works from my Heritage Hands project was selected as a finalist in The Alice Prize.

The work is currently on exhibition at Araluen Arts Centre as part of the Alice Prize, on show until 8 June.

It’s a significant acquisitive prize, and to have an image from this project that is so close to my heart, recognised in that context means a great deal.

If you find yourself heading to the Red Centre, it’s well worth a visit.

This same image was also awarded first place at the Sandgate Easter Art Show. 🥰👏🫶

17/04/2026

I’m really looking forward to these.

As part of the National Trust of Australia Queensland's Australian Heritage Festival, I’ll be hosting two small, informal sessions inside the Heritage Hands exhibition at the Thomas Dixon Centre, Queensland Ballet - joined by Michael Green, wig maker at Queensland Ballet.

We’ll begin outside the building and move through the exhibition together, talking through the stories, process and craft behind the work.

These are intentionally small - more of a conversation than a talk.

✨ Sunday 26 April
🕑 2:00pm & 2:45pm
🎟 Free, but bookings essential

You can find all the details and book here:
2:00pm - https://heritagehands.com.au/event/heritage-hands-in-conversation-with-the-makers200pm/
2:45pm - https://heritagehands.com.au/event/heritage-hands-in-conversation-with-the-makers-245pm/

Follow the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/872573969136119

17/03/2026

Heritage Hands at the Thomas Dixon Centre (until Monday 27 April)

A meaningful milestone for Heritage Hands, with a selection of works from the project now installed at the beautiful Thomas Dixon Centre, home of Queensland Ballet - on view until Monday 27 April.

This installation brings together photographs and artefacts from a number of the artisans featured in the book - including a whip maker, chocolatiers, a wig maker, an antique restorer and an umbrella maker - each representing practices shaped by patience, precision and the passing down of knowledge across generations.

To see these works sitting within a space dedicated to artistic excellence feels particularly significant. There is a quiet alignment between dance and craft - both grounded in discipline, repetition, and a deep respect for form.

Moments like this are an important step in the broader journey of Heritage Hands - continuing to share these stories, build new audiences, and advocate for the value of skilled making in contemporary culture.

A sincere thank you to the team at Queensland Ballet for the opportunity to present the work in this space.

If you’re passing through, I’d encourage you to take a moment to visit before it closes on 27 April.

12/03/2026

This week I attended the launch of the Creative Brisbane Collab. Cultural Legacies report exploring how creativity can shape Brisbane’s legacy leading up to 2032 and beyond.

I was fortunate to participate in one of the workshops that informed the report, so it was wonderful to see the ideas and conversations brought together.

One quote in particular stayed with me:

“Legacy is relationships, not buildings.”
— Ethan Kingston Wiradjuri, workshop participant

As an artist and cultural producer, this resonated deeply. Creativity isn’t something we add on at the end — it’s something we design into the fabric of our cities, our communities and the stories we share.

If we get this right, the legacy of 2032 won’t just be stadiums or infrastructure.
It will be connection, collaboration and culture that continues long after the event itself.

If you’re interested in how creativity might shape Brisbane’s future, I highly recommend reading the report. Visit to explore it.

03/03/2026

Creative careers are built long before the spotlight.

I’m proud to share that I’ve joined the Board of as a Director.

The video here was taken at Graduation Night last year at Brisbane Jazz Club Inc - a reminder that excellence in the arts is never accidental. It is cultivated through mentorship, discipline and strong institutions.

As someone working across arts, heritage and cultural production, I’m deeply aware that creative industries rely on thoughtful governance and strategic leadership to endure.

Jazz is built on rigour and collaboration.
So is sustainable cultural practice.

Honoured to contribute.

26/02/2026

Twilight on the river ✨

On Tuesday evening we held our first Brisbane Living Heritage Twilight event for the year at the Queensland Maritime Museum - gathering on the river that has shaped so much of Brisbane’s story, and on lands and waters long cared for by the Turrbal and Yuggera peoples, holders of this region’s oldest living heritage.

Thank you to the Queensland Maritime Museum for hosting us so generously, particularly Captain Kasper Kuiper, Jeff and the wider team, along with the dedicated staff and volunteers who continue to safeguard Queensland’s maritime history.

To step aboard HMAS Diamantina, launched in 1945, serving in WWII and later as an oceanographic survey vessel, is to move through layered chapters of Queensland and Australian history. Heritage becomes tangible in those moments.

The evening was equally about connection.

Brisbane Living Heritage exists because of the commitment of our Board and member organisations who care for heritage houses, museums, archives and collections across our city. Their stewardship underpins this network.

Our strength lies in collaboration, sharing knowledge, audiences and opportunity, and in building greater visibility and advocacy for the organisations who quietly protect Brisbane’s stories.

As Chair of Brisbane Living Heritage, I’m proud to serve a network that champions Brisbane’s living heritage.