Creative Edge at Sculpture on the Edge
Looking for art beyond the gallery walls? Jodie Cameron chats to the volunteers putting Sunshine Coast sculpture quite literally on the edge…
Sunshine Coast residents are a creative bunch, and local art is just part of the natural vibe here. Home to loads of working artists, our arts calendar continues to challenge them to create and keeps people returning to the region year-round.
From art trails and open studios to art prizes and exhibitions, there’s always something colourful or inspirational to experience.
Behind that creativity sits Arts Connect Inc, a group of volunteers who keep the whole community connected. They’re best known for two annual events – Open Studios Sunshine Coast and Sculpture on the Edge (SOTE) – but there’s far more to the organisation than two signature events on the creative calendar.
For 20 years, Arts Connect Inc has been reshaping what it means to support an artistic community, not just by helping artists exhibit their work, but by helping them build sustainable careers. Since stepping into the role of president earlier in the year, Traci Booker has been looking at ways Arts Connect can offer its members more. With nearly 200 members, Traci said there was a much bigger community behind their two annual events than most people realise.
“We can help artists become more visible and commercially confident,” Traci says. “We’ve got so many artists
on the Coast and we want to celebrate and leverage those that are commercially successful and support and grow more artists in the community.”
That support goes well beyond exhibitions with Arts Connect running workshops on everything from social media to preparing work for major art prizes. It’s all volunteer-led, with committee members offering their time, often alongside jobs, families and, in many cases, retirement.
“It’s about allowing people to give what time they can,” Traci says. “Even if it’s just a few hours, we’re grateful.”
You can feel the spirit come alive at SOTE, the coast’s flagship outdoor sculpture exhibition held each year at Flaxton Gardens in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Running from 28 November to 6 December, the gardens will be transformed into an open-air gallery with workshops, talks and events that celebrate the region’s creativity and offer the chance for engagement, inspiration and immersion into the world of sculpture.
Last year’s major prize winners are proof of what the event, and the community behind it, can do for an artist’s career.
Sculptor of the Year winner Megan Robinson said the 2025 win was ‘unexpected but validating’ and has given her the confidence to keep pushing forward.
“The funds also created space for me to experiment, take risks and continue developing my art full-time,” Megan says. “As artists, it’s so important to celebrate our practice alongside our peers, and be celebrated by the broader community.
“Even if your work is small and delicate, like my own, it doesn’t mean it can’t make a big impact.”
Runner-up Cam Crossley said the event’s intimate scale set it apart from other sculpture festivals.
“SOTE is local and all about engaging the community with sculpture and sculptors as an important part of our cultural and creative life,” Cam says. “It’s more intimate than other sculpture festivals that are dominated by large civic-scaled works. That difference is a real strength.”
For Local Sculptor category winner Jean Bennett, the recognition carried a different kind of meaning.
“To be seen is to be heard,” Jean says. “When someone sees a sculpture and acknowledges this from within the community, then you, the artist, are being heard on many different levels – not just for your vision, but from a place of connection with those around you.”
Upcycle Sculpture winner Margaret Shaw said the appeal of working with reclaimed materials went beyond the visual.
“I enjoy making art with used, second-hand and mostly free materials, as they come with a patina that speaks to their history,” Margaret says.
“It’s also so important to husband the resources of our planet, and artists can add real value to what are often discarded pieces of rubbish.”
So this spring, head to the hills for breathtaking art with a view, because supporting local art isn’t just about supporting the artists, it’s giving the volunteers who champion them all year round a reason to keep showing up.
Visit the website for more information including artist profiles, events and the 2026 Catalogue where you could purchase your very own work of art. To be involved with Arts Connect Inc visit www.artsconnectinc.com.au
SEE IT FOR YOURSELF
Sculpture on the Edge
28 November – 6 December
Flaxton Gardens, 313-323 Flaxton Drive.
Scan the QR code to find out more and to meet the 2026 sculptors.
www.sculptureontheedge.com.au
