Mildura set to embrace ‘zine culture’

Published on 17 June 2022

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Mildura Arts Centre (MAC) is set to host the region’s second ever Mildura Zine Fair next month in collaboration with Melbourne-based zine hub Sticky Institute.

Zines – short for magazines or fanzines – are small-circulation, self-published works of text and images, which at times have been hugely popular over many decades.

The Institute’s Helen Graham and Samantha Riegl will help build momentum ahead of July’s event at MAC with a series of Mildura workshops this month.

Helen is a Melbourne-based illustrator, zine-maker and teacher, while Samantha is an artist, zine-maker, teacher and coordinator at Sticky Institute.

“These workshops will be a great way for local residents who may not have heard or know a lot about zine culture to gain a first-hand understanding,” Councillor for Arts, Culture and Heritage Helen Healy said.

“They’ll also be a great precursor to July’s Mildura Zine Fair, which is aimed at celebrating zine culture and uniting zine-makers from all over Australia.”

Workshops will be held for both Mildura Senior College Students and SuniTAFE Creative Industries students, as well as a public workshop at the Mildura Library.

Included as part of the Libraries After Dark Program at the Mildura Library, anyone in the community can come along to learn the basics of zine-making from Helen and Samantha.

“As part of the workshops, participants will receive a crash course in what a zine is, how to get started making your own, and how to get involved in the zine community,” Cr Healy said.

The Libraries After Dark workshop will be held on Thursday 23 June from 7pm to 8.30pm and is free to participate in. Residents can simply come along on the night. All materials are provided.

Cr Healy encouraged residents with an interest in the arts or wanting to learn more about zine culture to take advantage of the opportunity to pick up tips and information from one of the most active organisations in zine culture.

Describing themselves as ‘ardent defenders of zine culture’, Sticky Institute runs and curates the annual zine celebration, Festival Of The Photocopier, which now includes the largest zine fair in Australia at Melbourne’s Town Hall.

The Mildura Zine Fair will be held at MAC on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 July.

Sticky Institute is a zine hub in the Melbourne CBD, featuring a shop and resources devoted entirely to zines, stocking more than 12,000 titles since opening in 2001.

ENDS

 

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