Mapping the stories that shape us
A community art project celebrating the stories, spaces, and creative spirit of Castlemaine and beyond.
Tues 3rd Mar 2-4pm
Thur 5th Mar 5-6pm
Tues 10th Mar 10-12
Thur 12th Mar 10-12
Castlemaine Library Foyer
Sense-making Events
Launch Event
12-2pm Sat January 31st
Castlemaine Library Foyer
Closing Event
12-2pm Sat February 28th
Castlemaine Library Foyer
How do you imagine the future here?
Mapping Our Futures invites people from across our community to contribute to a shared map of meaningful places. Whether it’s a site of creativity, memory, or inspiration, your pin helps us craft a collective picture of our cultural landscape.
Workshops
**All workshops start at the Castlemaine Library Foyer.
Creative Space
Friday 6th February and Saturday 7th February
A self directed opportunity to use art practices to generate your future visioning. There will be some easy creative guides and some art materials available to use in the space. No registration needed.
No registration required.
Let's climb into a map and FEEL the MAGIC
Thursday 12th February, 5-7pm
We can explore some amazing maps, create our own maps... the opportunities are limitless. Our visions for a future can emerge from the mist...
Chris Green will talk passionately about maps in a geological context and showcase some mapping technologies including Lidar images, GPlates images and Google Earth. He'll then open it to discussion and opportunities to play around with the maps and mapping technologies. Anyone into maps or geology or learning anew, is highly likely to enjoy this workshop.
Visioning processes
Thursday 19th February 10.30am to 12.30pm
Join us in a participatory workshop, in which we'll guide you step by step through a visioning process, to aid your ideas for the future to come to you with clarity and hope. Bring a hat and waterbottle in case we venture outside.
The Futures Wander
A short creative wander with local artist Sarah Taylor. Leaving from the Castlemaine Library, we will use some simple art practices to inspire new and unexpected visions of the future. The process will be explorative and the outcome open. Bring walking shoes and a bottle of water.
Thursday 19th February 1pm-3pm
Imagining the future of water in Castlemaine…
Museum of Water
Thurday 19th February
5pm - 7pm
Water is critical to all life. It's abundance or scarcity can shape our communities and its patterns in our lives are changing. What role will water play in Castlemaine's future?
In this workshop we will use creative methods of futures thinking to stretch our imagination and deepen our questions. We will visit the future and bring back a message in a bottle for the present. The playful activities will culminate in the creation of a piece of speculative art. You will have the opportunity to contribute your piece to the Museum of Future Water.
All welcome and no experience necessary. Please note that this workshop is designed for adults, but children are welcome to accompany their parents/carers.
Open Space workshop
Saturday 21st February 10.30am - 12.30pm
Join us for a collaborative, dynamic and self directed discussion. You set the agenda, and together is where ideas can come to life.
Story Gathering workshop
Monday 23rd Feb, 4-5pm
Tell your stories of place; Kim Collins and Jason Cutler will help record them, and put them on the online map. Hear other peoples' stories and be inspired.
Also tell stories of the future.
Because we all have a story to tell...
Hydrating Muckleford Valley
Thursday 26th February 5pm - 7pm
One of the untold stories of our environmental impact is how profoundly we have dried out catchments. And a key to making our future sustainable is learning how to rehydrate our now droughty landscapes by plugging the leaks and reviving wetlands, watercourses and floodplains (as well as reconditioning dams). Join local ecologist Paul Foreman in envisioning a rehydrated Muckleford Valley (one of the Shire's largest catchments) as a case study that strikes a better balance between humans and nature.
What we do
Map Futures brings people together through creative mapping. We collect stories, memories, and meaningful locations shared by the community and visualise them on a collaborative map of Castlemaine and surrounding areas.
Through workshops, storytelling, and public engagement, we explore how place shapes our identity — and how our stories shape the places we call home.
Our goal is to create a living, evolving map that reflects the richness, diversity, and imagination of our region.
Background
Mapping Our Futures emerged from conversations in early 2025 between Castlemaine Community House, Castlemaine Library, and Ecoimagine Creative Consultancy in response to a clearly identified community need. Mount Alexander Shire faces significant social challenges, including an ageing population with a median age of 51 compared to the state average of 38, alongside social isolation risks. Many residents are disturbed by increasingly polarised social environments, environmental and economic crises, and rising cost of living pressures. Community partners recognised a lack of opportunity for positive future visioning amongst their communities, whilst students expressed feelings of anxiety and disconnection with a strong desire to contribute to community conversations about shared futures. There are few opportunities for creative channels that allow residents to express positive visions for the region's sustainable future, recognising that technical solutions alone are insufficient without diverse community-wide engagement.
Voices from our community
Our members share why mapping matters.
“Adding my place helped me reflect on how creativity is woven into our everyday surroundings.”
— Local Artist
“Seeing everyone’s pins makes me feel more connected to the community.”
— Castlemaine Resident
“This project shows the hidden stories behind the places we pass every day.”
— Workshop Participant
“It’s inspiring to watch the map fill with places that mean so much to different people.”
— Local Artist