Octapod – Encouraging engagement with innovative arts and media
The Octapod Association is a not-for-profit arts and media organisation based in the heart of Newcastle's Civic and Cultural Precinct, with a strong local presence and national outreach.
Founded over 10 years ago, it has a long history of supporting local creative projects. In 2007 it is positioning itself more clearly as an incubator and resource base for community initiated cultural projects, events, festivals and media production initiatives. It's mission is to encourage engagement with innovative arts and media. In doing so it seeks to be responsive to the needs and aspirations of the local community, support skills development for emerging practitioners, and be responsive to emerging artforms.
Initially closely involved with the development of the This Is Not Art (TINA) Festival, Australia’s premier independent arts and new media festival, it has broadened its scope to include initiating TiN Radio, an online and sometimes FM radio station driven by young people, and acting as festival headquarters for the annual one day STOMP Festival, which celebrates cultural diversity, social justice, arts and the environment.
Octapod's 2007-2009 program of activities builds on its track record of supporting innovative grass roots cultural activities, and will involve a mix of managed, auspiced, incubated and supported projects. In redefining its model of practice, Octapod seeks to build on its capacities and strengths, in particular its ability to offer resources and services to projects. Projects and activities supported by Octapod include: free Urchin writing workshops exploring different writing genres; TiN Radio, which provides innovative and reliable radio-making opportunities for the local community (including radio shows and podcasts/radio documentaries); TINA Festival and STOMP Festival. It also manages www.culturehunter.org, an online arts and cultural database, designed to provide up-to-date information about cultural happenings, practitioners and organisations in the Hunter region. Its newest project involves establishing an ARI (Artist Run Initiative) within the Octapod gallery space in collaboration with TAFE students.
Octapod aims to strengthen community capacity and independence through its range of projects, events and initiatives. Activities such as STOMP Festival and TiN Radio enhance local identity and well-being, with a focus on generating a more sustainable arts and cultural environment. By providing access to resources and encouraging participatory management, Octapod builds the capacity of communities to create and express their own culture. The program of activities further develops the capacity of young and emerging artists by providing opportunities for peer based skill sharing. For more information on how to get involved, call (02) 4927 0470 or email podadmin@octapod.org.