The Imagine Me Ballina Project

The Imagine Me project is an innovative creative awareness-raising project for people who are living with a spinal cord injury in Ballina.

The Imagine Me Ballina project was a collaboration between lead artist Sue Murray and a group of 6 individuals living with spinal cord injury.

Hamish Graham
Heather Lofts
Lee Clark
Sharna Matheson
Steve Pizzol
Craig Scanlan

This project took place at the Ballina RSL Club for 4 weeks in November 2014

This project was funded by
Australia Council for The Arts Community Partnerships Grant 2014 and supported by the
Ballina RSL Club and SCIA.

Testimonial Steve 2014

I participated in the Imagine Me project in Ballina in 2014. The imagine me project gave me a new interest and opened my eyes.

I did photography at school and have enjoyed it ever since. After my accident in 2006 so many different hobbies are out of reach, including photography. When I saw the imagine me project I actually thought that somebody with my disability would not be able to participate.

Sue opened my eyes and showed me what is available. I have now changed my camera becasuse the one I had only allowed me to use limited controls so I bought the Canon 100D touch screen camera. This is the exact same camera we were using in the Imagine Me project. I can use every function the camera offers.

Through the Imagine Me project I have found out about many more devices that make photography easier and easier for people like myself. I enjoy the technical side of photography which makes me look for easier and better ways to use the camera.

I support the Imagine Me project in this grant application because it is greatly appreciated and needed, there are very limited other creative opportunities like this that I know about. I continue to discuss with Sue creative photography ideas for myself and other people with quadriplegia and we explore new developments in equipment that makes photography more accessible. I look forward to my continued involvement in the Imagine Me Project.

Testimonial Dianna 2014

It is imperative that art is included in peoples lives for essential well-being. These photos and stories make people real and help breakdown barriers.

Good work.  

Testimonial Pauline 2014

I think the Imagine Me project will help many people in many different ways – for some people it will be photography skills, and for others it might be in exploring their creative side. I really enjoyed the social aspect of the workshops –the peer support and the personal conversations we had as a group. Other people in the group also found the workshop beneficial – I’ve kept a close relationship with one of the other participants who was very negative and not wanting to engage with the world before participating, but now she is wanting to engage with the world and with other people – she has learnt to accept her circumstances for what they are instead of fighting against the world-  that would not have happened without attending the workshop.