Altona Meadows resident Vince Stahtiaris has been helping to organise the Offset Creative Arts Festival. 88332 Picture: KRISTIAN SCOTT
By ALESHA CAPONE
A FESTIVAL celebrating the people, culture and history of Melbourne’s West will be on at the Footscray Community Arts Centre from Friday.
The Offset Creative Arts Festival will run for three days and include an exhibition of artwork, creative workshops and performances.
Altona Meadows resident Vince Stahtiaris is managing editor of the Offset Creative Arts Journal along with other students from Victoria University.
Every year a team of third-year students studying Communications are selected to produce and publish the journal in conjunction the festival.
“It all begins with the opening on the Friday where we’ll set things off and launch the journal,” Mr Stahtiaris said.
The journal is book containing short stories, poetry, artwork, photography, a music CD and a DVD.
“We have a play ‘Elena and the Nightingale’ by Tom Petsinis which will be running each night and we also have the winners of the Trung Sisters competition by the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association being announced,” Mr Stahtiaris said.
“When we’ve said that this year’s Offset is the biggest ever it’s definitely been true.”
Mr Stahtiaris said he has enjoyed working with the Offset team and the festival’s managing editor Emmyrose Hobbs.
“The opportunity to work in the same field that I’m passionate about and being able to produce something like this journal and festival is something that I feel very lucky to be a part of,” he said.
“There are nine other students and two Victoria University staff members who work very hard to keep it running who we couldn’t have done this without.”
The Offset Creative Arts Festival will launch 6.30pm on Friday at the Roslyn Smorgon Gallery, Footscray Community Arts Centre. See www.offestjournal.com for more information.
