Recent mentoring
John Baucher: Flowers From the East, still image from video of installation at PS2, December 2020 https://www.pssquared.org/projects/flowers-from-the-east
I’ve recently been working in a number of ways – both formal and informal – to support and mentor artists through funding processes and career junctures. Some of these have been funded by organisations whilst others have involved voluntary support for individual practitioners. Organisations include:
I was paired by CCA to work with John Baucher, an artist based at Vault Art Studios. Over a series of sessions, John and I consolidated the theme and concerns of his work into some key thematic areas (durational, auto-ethnographic, peripheries etc.) and his work into groups that are opportunity appropriate e.g. for exhibition, for collection, for further development and so on. CCA has done an incredible job of recognising and resourcing individual artists during the pandemic, and continues to offer opportunities for artists of different visual art disciplines/approaches and at different career stages.
Having worked closely with this organisation for a number of years, including as a board member, I am now mostly involved in offering one-to-one advice sessions to artists who identify as d/Deaf, disabled and/or neurodiverse and who are exploring funding opportunities. UofA’s work in securing funding for artists, and – in particular – making that process accessible, is unparalleled on these islands. Alongside the IDA (Individual Development Award) and the DDASF programme (Deaf and Disabled Artist Support Fund), they have also recently released four £5000 awards in honour of the organisation’s late CEO, Chris Ledger, in order to continue her important legacy in nurturing d/Deaf and disabled artists.
I have recently been appointed as a mentor on the Future Foundations programme administrated by Future Screens NI. I am awaiting confirmation of which mentee I have been paired with and will update accordingly. The programme aims to support ‘art practitioners to navigate a range of complex legislative and funding systems in order to ensure they can continue with their practice and leverage a sustainable income. The impact of the pandemic has highlighted the need of support from those with experience in supporting individuals in developing and managing such funding systems as well as developing new approaches to working in the Creative and Cultural Industries’.
Please note: my voluntary support for individuals (preparing funding applications, writing proposals, references/letters of support etc.) is something I consider vital, ideologically, and there is certainly an enormous gap for this kind of work, but is becoming harder to support as I must absorb it around PhD, teaching and numerous project commitments with an already significant number of artist beneficiaries. If this is something that you are interested in, please do email me, and perhaps – if not time sensitive, or in response to a specific call – we can find ways to work together in the near future once some of these commitments have diminished a little. If you require support in the more immediate term, there are a number of people who are salaried, and who can provide these services as part of their existing curatorial roles, that I can put you in touch with and who may be able to help.
