MAV is looking forward to hosting it’s 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) at our new headquarters in the Melbourne Polytechnic Preston campus. It is a chance for you to catch up with what’s been happening at MAV over the last year, meet the operational staff and board, and check out the new office and possible art-making spaces that will soon be available for members to use!

For this year’s AGM, we are excited to announce a special program line up. Hosted by Sam Gaskin, the program will feature spoken word poet Nyarath Gatkouth, and guest speaker Leah Avene, from Co-Culture Communication. A light, but nourishing spread will be on offer from Beit Siti catering.

Sam is a creator, change agent and always one to stand out in a crowd. An accomplished artist and actor, he founded BEAT Entertainment, which specialises in bespoke creative solutions. His recent work RECKŌNING was awarded four Melbourne Fringe Awards, including Best Emerging Indigenous Artist.

Nyarath is a South Sudanese spoken word poet, writer and facilitator balancing the conflicts of her creativity on the unceded land of the Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri people. With loud passion, she hopes to bring together life’s quiet moments to unite audiences. Through her practice, she hopes to inspire others to create, make and most importantly, connect.

Leah is a mother, musician, broadcaster, facilitator and educator of Irish and Tuvaluan ancestry whose work focuses on personal, relational, collective and systemic repair, healing and transformation. Leah has been working closely with the team to support them in facilitating the next journey and era of MAV.

Founded by Jordanian-born, Palestinian woman Rahaf, Beit Siti was born out of a desire to preserve and share the ancestral knowledge and traditions of the home kitchen that was handed down to her by her grandmother, Teta Jamal. In honouring how food traditions and oral histories are intrinsically linked, Beit Siti tells these stories of survival, hope and resilience through continuing food cultures as a form of resistance.

The Annual General Meeting and Board election will be held on Tuesday, 28 May 2024 at 6PM. Doors will open at 5:30PM for registration.

The purpose of the AGM is to provide members with a report on the organisation's activities and finances for the previous year, for members to meet the team and board, ask questions, and to elect new directors to the governing board.

Proxy Vote: If you are unable to attend the AGM and Board Election in person, you are welcome to nominate a fellow member to vote on your behalf. Please use this link to submit your proxy form no later than Sunday. 11:59PM 26 May 2024.

Membership: Please note, you must be a member to vote in the election. Annual memberships start at $15 for artists and concession.

Previous Minutes: Click here to access the 2023 AGM Minutes

Image Credit: Retrospection Visual ID by Melissa Tidah Him