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Martin Paten on the Festival that Shapes the Town

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The Nugget
October 31, 2025

★ Martin Paten on the Festival that Shapes the Town ★

Executive Director of Castlemaine State Festival, Martin Paten

In Martin Paten’s first year as Artistic Director of the Castlemaine State Festival, a colleague told him: “It’s not the town that shapes the festival, but the festival that shapes the town.”

This idea stayed with Martin through his tenure as Artistic Director from 2008 – 2017, until now, as he unexpectedly (for him) returns to run the festival again.  

It remains his touchstone for understanding the festival’s rightful place in our community.

He agrees that the 10-day festival can, and should, tilt the town just enough off its axis that it never quite returns to the same place, leaving a deep and lasting imprint.

Martin has an impressive resume. He’s been CEO of the Footscray Arts Centre, Manager of Arts and Culture for Geelong Council, a board member of Regional Arts Victoria, (including 5 years as Deputy Chair,) and run his own consultancy, designing and delivering large scale art projects.  He knows his stuff.

He could easily bring all that experience and impose a tried-and-tested festival model.

But this little nugget of an idea—that the festival shapes the town—weighs just the right kind of heavy for Martin. He’s spent much of his time trying to understand who the town is now, and what kind of festival truly belongs here.

The upcoming Castlemaine State Festival (CSF) is a significant one — some might say the most significant yet. It marks 50 years of CSF in Castlemaine and the 25th festival (it runs biennially). But it also follows a precarious chapter, when last year the festival nearly ceased to exist, entering voluntary administration with no guarantee of survival.

Martin and Linda Sproul - a past board member who first offered him the AD role back in 2008 - were invited to review the festival after it entered administration. Their task: to understand whether CSF still had a place in a town that is now brimming with festivals, and if so, what it should look like.

Through extensive community consultation, the response was unanimous: the festival still mattered. 

“Everyone agreed that Castlemaine deserves a festival dedicated to artistic ambition and an opportunity to showcase our culture through art,” Martin says.

Review done. Martin hadn’t planned to return. But when Linda suggested they co-direct - and fate promptly made his then-current job redundant - he realised this was a rare opportunity to do something meaningful.

“You don’t always know the impact of your work or the legacy it might leave.  Trusting your intuition, drawing on everything you have learned and putting that into the festival feels very special,” Martin says.

“The first thing Linda and I did was spend time really trying to understand - who is Castlemaine now? You can’t just come back after ten years and pick up where you left off.”

The town has changed – in really great ways.

“This is a chance for the festival to create space for local artists to present themselves on an international stage, right here in their own town,” Martin says.

“There’s just something about this town that really appreciates when you reflect and represent the culture of this place.  There's a kind of love of each other, a very genuine, soulful and loving place that manifests artistically and creatively in very special ways.”

The program launches December 1, and we can’t wait to see what there is in store.  Martin promises a lot of dancing, a return to beloved venues, like music in the churches, and deep engagement with our local schools.  Opening Night sounds like it is going to be a roof-raiser .

For Martin, returning to the festival - and to living in Vaughan again after five years on the coast - has felt like coming home.

“I hadn’t anticipated how strong that feeling of return would be until I was here, reconnecting with our own sweet little community,” Martin says.

And perhaps, after all these years of shaping the festival, this time the festival is shaping him.

❀ The Wall of Death Exhibition opens tonight ❀

The Merchants of Mostyn are bringers of joy and the macabre. Inside you’ll find locally made clothes by Opus Belle, crystals, books, jewellery by Death Metal Jewellery, artwork and some other kooky-cool treasures. 

Opening tonight at 6pm, The Wall of Death is an exhibition of small sized artworks inspired by death, organised in collaboration with local death expert, Hayley West.

Add it to your trick-or-treat map! 🎃

♡˖ EVENTS ˖♡

𖥔 TALK TO MOI PLOISE 𖥔

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