Our founders
MARK McCLELLAND
director | artist
In early 2025 Mark founded The Experience Place, to plan and design for holistic place experience in the Australian development industry.
Previously Mark founded the respected public art consultancy Cultural Capital, and for twelve years served as the company’s creative director and later Chair. In this capacity he became a leading Australian voice for public art and cultural placemaking.
Prior to Cultural Capital, Mark founded and led the multi-award winning experience design agency, DesignTroupe. The company later became part of what is now the Project World Wide group (PWW). After merging DesignTroupe with PWW, Mark ran the firm’s operations in Asia, developing creative agencies in Singapore, China, Japan, India and South Korea and serving on the company’s global board. Mark’s career has also taken him to projects in the US, the UK and Europe.
Mark undertakes projects as a sculptor and public artist. He is a three-time finalist and former winner of Sydney’s prestigious art event – Sculpture by the Sea, and an awarded furniture designer/maker.
CATHY DREW
director of art | artist
Cathy co-founded The Experience Place in early 2025. She is a multidisciplinary artist and designer who sees the urban landscape as a boundless series of opportunities to create place-based experiences that help to connect people to place, and to one another.
As director of Art for The Experience Place, Cath practices as an artist in the public realm as well as co-designing with other specialised practitioners. Her strong art process skills make Cathy a great curatorial and co-designing partner working collaboratively with design teams. She mentors artists transitioning from their own practice into larger works in the public realm and cultivates close relationships with contemporary artists and practitioners.
In doing this work Cathy draws on twenty-five years of creative experience in the arts, seven years as an artist, curator and project manager at Cultural Capital and her background working as a multidisciplinary artist.
Art is the guiding centre of Cathy’s life. The opportunity to bring art thinking, elevate the experience of place and embed cultural expression into the public realm of our cities, towns and places brings her joy every day.
STEPH BRADSHAW
creative director | experience designer
Steph co-founded The Experience Place in early 2025 and is our expert in creative strategy, experience design and identity. She weaves everything together to create and communicate emotionally resonant place-based experiences. Steph’s background in industrial design, brand campaigns and experiential marketing brings a unique and valuable, identity focused view to the creation of place experience, identity and brand.
Creating something new, delightful and purposeful that generates place identity along with a sense of wonder and belonging shouldn’t be hard work or convoluted. Steph specialises in making the process easy. She’s collaborative, helpful, intuitive, practical and dedicated to creating something that’s right for you with minimal fuss.
There’s a lot riding on the experience of place, every touch point is an investment for one party, and an opportunity for place narrative, interpretation and connection for others. Steph’s unique expertise and approach enable her to deliver the right balance
every time.
every time.