Melissa Hoedel Creative

12/06/2026

What started as a photography project has become something much bigger.

When I first began Heritage Hands, my goal was simple: to document artisans and traditional skills before they disappeared.

Since then, Heritage Hands has published a book, presented exhibitions, participated in the Australian Heritage Festival, received national recognition and sparked important conversations about preserving traditional skills and cultural knowledge.

But the more artisans I meet, the more I realise the real opportunity extends beyond documentation.

How do we create opportunities for these skills to be shared, celebrated and passed on to future generations?

That’s the next chapter of Heritage Hands.

I’m currently exploring education initiatives, community engagement programs, succession pathways for traditional skills and the development of the Heritage Hands Festival.

This EOFY, I’m raising funds through the Australian Cultural Fund to help build the foundations for that work.

If you’d like to support the future of Heritage Hands, donations over $2 are tax deductible

LINK IN BIO

08/06/2026

Today is the final day of the Alice Prize 2026 exhibition at Araluen Arts Centre in Mparntwe (Alice Springs).

I’m incredibly grateful to have had At Home, At Rest selected as a finalist and exhibited alongside so many talented artists from across Australia.

A huge thank you to the beautiful team at Araluen Arts Centre, and especially Camille Berthelier, for your warmth, care and support throughout the exhibition. The exhibition has been presented so thoughtfully, and it has been a joy to be part of it.

While this work is now preparing for its journey home, I’m taking a moment to appreciate what an honour it has been to be included in such a significant award exhibition.

Thank you to everyone who has followed along, visited the exhibition, shared kind words or supported my work.

📸 At Home, At Rest
📍 Alice Prize 2026, Araluen Arts Centre

31/05/2026

Recently I contributed a submission to the National Cultural Policy consultation.

Drawing on my work across heritage, festivals, cultural tourism, public engagement and community-led cultural initiatives, my submission focused primarily on living heritage, place-based cultural participation and the importance of recognising broader cultural ecosystems beyond major institutions.

Through projects including Brisbane Open House, Brisbane Living Heritage and increasingly Heritage Hands, I’ve become deeply interested in how communities connect through storytelling, creativity, craftsmanship, local identity and participatory cultural experiences.

Some of the key themes explored in my submission included:
• Living heritage as cultural infrastructure
• Intergenerational knowledge sharing and skills preservation
• Community-led cultural participation
• Regional and suburban cultural ecosystems
• Cultural tourism and place-based identity
• Participatory and human-centred cultural experiences
• Sustainability for independent cultural producers
• The long-term cultural legacy opportunities surrounding 2032 and beyond

One of the strongest beliefs underpinning my submission is that Australia’s cultural life does not exist solely within major institutions.

It also exists in workshops, maker spaces, local museums, community halls, festivals, libraries, historical societies and in the hands of practitioners carrying knowledge across generations.

Increasingly, I believe some of the most important cultural opportunities ahead of us sit at the intersection of heritage, creativity, tourism, education and community participation.

If interested, my full submission can be read here:
https://heritagehands.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Submission-to-the-National-Cultural-Policy-Consultation-.pdf

~ Melissa

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