Who we areImagine Me is a collaboration between people living with spinal cord injury and professional photographic artist Sue Murray.
Sue holds a Master of Fine Art, a Diploma of Adult Education and a Bachelor of Visual Arts and is a Professional Photographer as well as being a Sydney based visual artist and professional art educator. Arts NSW, Accessible arts and Australia Council recognise Imagine Me for best practise in the arts and disability sector. Our reputation for excellence is demonstrated by the support received from arts funding bodies and the sustained relationship Imagine Me has developed with Royal Rehab. Imagine Me has been supported by:Royal Rehab partnership
NSW Government through Lifetime Care and Support Authority and Arts NSW Slater and Gordon Community Fund Australia Council for the Arts, Community Partnerships Delineate grant, an initiative of Accessible Arts in partnership with the Don’t DIS My ABILITY Campaign sponsored by NSW Government, Department of Family & Community Services Great City Signs City of Sydney Local Community Grant Ballina RSL Club Spinal Cord Injury Australia The Spinal Cord Injury Network Matching grant |
Professional Artist Sue MurraySue studied at the National Art School and the Rhode Island School of Art and Design. She lectured at University and TAFE whilst completing a Master of Fine Arts. Exhibiting since the mid 1990’s both in group and solo exhibitions as well as undertaking commissioned projects including National Museum, Canberra, Australian Museum, Sydney as well as the Liverpool and Bankstown Hospitals.
Sue began her creative studio practice working in the traditional form of documentary photography where the photographer interprets their subject. Major projects include a nursing home in the USA she was resident photographer for two years for which she won an award from Time Magazine New York. On return to Australia Sue began exploring the subject’s participation in the making of their image. Throughout her career Sue has been commissioned by numerous public organisations to develop creative projects with a diversity of community groups. These projects have given individuals new opportunities in engaging with the practice of art. In 1996 Bordered Lives, a photographic project with young people living in temporary accommodation, was an Exhibited in Bus Shelters and at The Australian Museum Sydney. “Bordered Lives” encouraged teenagers who were disengaged with the education system to re-engage through an arts practice. The project was supported by City of Sydney Council, South Sydney Council, NSW Ministry for the Arts, 3M Australian Posters, The Australian Multicultural Foundation, The Australian Museum, and the Sydney University World Congress of Comparative Education. The main objective of Bordered Lives was to communicate issues around homelessness to a broad audience which was achieved successfully through media (channel 9 news and ABC Radio) and exhibitions in public spaces, such as The Australian Museum and throughout Sydney CBD on Bus Stop shelters. In 2013 Sue developed the Imagine Me project with a grant from the Spinal Injury Network and Delineate, Accessible Arts in partnership with the Don’t DIS My ABILITY Campaign in 2013. This grant funded a pilot to develop the current project model of digital-imaging workshops using adaptive equipment for people with spinal cord injury. In October 2014, Royal Rehab partnered with Imagine Me to launch the Royal Rehab Imagine Me Project funded as a pilot project to develop a model for future workshops with the Royal Rehab Recreational Therapy Department. Initially developed for people with a spinal cord injury, Imagine Me has since developed to include people with a range of disabilities including acquired brain injury, stroke and intellectual disability. By working collaboratively with Royal Rehab, Imagine me has had the opportunity to continually adapt and develop innovative digital photography workshops to enable greater access for people with varying levels of ability. In July 2015 The Royal Rehab Imagine Me Rural NSW Project was supported by Australia Council for the Arts and NSW Government through the Lifetime Care and Support Authority and Arts NSW to run workshops in rural and regional NSW. The Project’s Creative-Producer, Sue Murray, worked with Royal Rehab NSW Spinal Outreach Service Coordinators and Spinal Cord Injury Australia (SCIA) as well as Ability Links, ABIS and other disability services in order to connect with and invite potential participants. A major outcome of this LTCSA and Arts NSW Arts grant has been the development of a new accessible program for people with acquired brain injury. As part of their celebrations of 2015 International Day of People with Disability, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre invited Imagine Me to hold a series of workshops along with an exhibition of the Imagine Me artworks in the gallery. Imagine me worked with young people with a range of intellectual disabilities from Junction Works using this more immediate and therefore more accessible creative process for people with acquired brain injury. Sue will run workshops for Seniors Week in Eurobodalla Council in 2016 |