The latest community arts venture we're investing in is a series of interviews with artists who have been mentors and leaders in the West Gippsland region – the Arts “Vanguard”. The interviews simply ask each artist to describe their work, in whatever arts genre they have worked in. They describe how they began, their successes, and sometimes including how they continued when things were difficult. We then ask how they suited their work to the area that we live in, with all its specific challenges.

The Vanguard Interviews will become an archive of valuable life stories. We have received sponsorship from John Mai of Select Office Supplies, to facilitate data storage of the interviews, photographs, transcripts and other archival data. Our long term plan is to create new work that becomes a vehicle for the telling of the stories – as entertainment, but also for enrichment of the local arts community. Everything we do will only be with the consent of the participating artists – all creative work will be by collaboration with them.