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James Birrell

Judge

James is a second-generation designer who has dedicated his career to improving lifestyles and experiences for the communities he works with. James has spent the last decade being involved in promoting and developing the Sunshine Coast Arts scene as Director of the Maroochy Music and Vis Arts Festival and as a Founding Member of the Sunshine Coast Arts Advisory Board which delivered the first Sunshine Coast Arts Plan 2018-2038. Having established James Birrell Design Lab in 2013, James merged with Place Design Group in 2019 and has built a stellar suite of local, national, and international design, strategy and placemaking experience. Projects include those such as Maroochy Music and Vis Arts Festival, Bicheno Town Centre Revitalisation in Tasmania, Zhongshan Business Park in China, National Award Winning house Domic in Sunshine Beach, Sveti Rok Golf Course in Croatia, and the curation and commissioning of Fantastic Planet with Tasmanian based artist Amanda Parer, which has toured globally including Maroochydore, New York, San Francisco, London, Leeds, Nantes, Rome, Prague, Finland and Xian.

Nina Shadforth

Judge

Nina Shadforth currently works as Curator for the Sunshine Coast Art Collection (Caloundra Regional Gallery) and works across diverse projects in both the visual arts and entertainment industries. Nina has worked professionally in the arts sector for over 20 years, having held appointments in regional QLD galleries as Curator/Director at Caloundra and Noosa Regional Galleries, the Butter Factory Arts Centre, Cooroy and for Public Programs, at the Victorian Racing Museum, Melbourne and the Bendigo Art Gallery, including a number of freelance contracts in Bendigo (Information Centre, Central Deborah Gold Mine and Golden Dragon Museum); and as author of education resource material (visual arts) for Herald-Sun & Weekly Times, Melbourne and University of the Sunshine Coast Art Gallery.

Side projects have included visual arts contributor/writer for InNoosa magazine, lead Curator for TEDxNoosa, and previous member on industry boards; Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance, Sunshine Coast Screen Collective (foundation member), and lead curator (Vis Arts) for Noosa Alive! Festival (2016-2018), and more recently established @pastedarts street-art social media pages. Currently, Nina is a member on the board of the Public Galleries QLD (PGQ) and is artist manager for Queensland singer-songwriter DOOLIE.

Pam Maegdefrau

Judge

'Discovered Sculpture' S during 1970-78 travelling through Asia to Europe, visiting Museums, Sculpture parks, Architectural Sites, Cathedrals etc .. (settling in USA for 4 years, engaged as partner in manufacture of wooden boats and toys, studying small scale porcelain sculpture)

Returned to Australia 1979, studied at BCAE 1980 -84.
Completed Associate Diploma of arts studying Ceramics and Sculpture
Set up studio at BCAE, teaching part time in Ceramics till 1990. During that time tutored with Australian Flying Arts School in NSW and Qld.
Established successful Ceramic Arts practice; invited to serve on Boards of Qld Potters Assoc. (Fusions, Now Ceramic Arts Qld) .. and Craft Qld.

During 80s became President of Craft Qld (now Artisan) and as such served an industry representative on many arts related boards/ forums. Taught in Ceramics Dept at Southbank TAFE (primary QLD ceramics college) from 1990 -96. During 90s became President of Fusions.

During those years invited to exhibit, teach and judge throughout northern NSW and Qld. Retired to Montville 2002

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