Waterford Artist Online Mentoring Scheme
Open to visual artists resident in Waterford city and county
Open to visual artists resident in Waterford city and county
We are no longer taking applications
You are eligible for this scheme if you are resident in Waterford city and County Council's administrative area and are interested in developing an existing painting or drawing practice through an online mentoring program.
This scheme is funded by the Arts Office, Waterford City and County Council.
A maximum of 6 applicants (mentees) will be selected through a competitive application and selection process. Each successful mentee will be matched to an artist mentor they can learn from. Selected mentees will benefit from 12 hours of time from the matched mentor over the course of 6 months. In addition, selected mentees will have the opportunity to exhibit at the Artform Annual 44 Exhibition in Waterford City in December 2022.
The deadline for applications will be 23:59 on 18th May with selected mentees announced thereafter. The mentoring scheme will then run from June to November.
Application process:
It is very important to note, applicants do not choose mentors. instead, through the selection process, successful applicants will be matched to a suitable mentor. Therefore when filling your application avoid references to any of the mentors on the panel, as this could prejudice the outcome resulting in your application being disqualified.
If you have any questions about the scheme that are not answered on this page, you will have the opportunity to add these to your application. We will do our best to respond to these questions in advance of the selection process.
Selection process:
Mentees will be selected by a jury of artist mentors through a competitive selection process. Applicants will be shortlisted on the basis of:
Shortlisted applicants will then be introduced to a mentor via a Zoom call as part of the selection process. A final selection based on suitability will be made at this point and successful applicants will be notified.
Funding provided under this scheme represents €1,200 per participant to be administered by Big Look in partnership with mentors in the provision of mentoring hours. Hence, it is very important that successful applicants participate fully in the scheme.
Participating mentors
The following mentors will be taking part in the scheme:
'Sweet Spot' by Catherine Barron
Terms & Conditions
Each successful mentee will be allocated 12 hours of mentor time. This time will be spent by mentors on a blend of written critique, preparing assignments, research and face-to-face interactions. This 12 hours of mentor time will be spread over 6 months from June to November. Face to face interactions will be over Zoom or a similar online tool. The scheduling of these will be based on mentor and mentee availability.
In order to get value from the mentoring program it needs to feed directly into your existing practice. Therefore, try not to think of it as a 'side project', but rather one that will help you challenge and improve what you are doing in your core work. Your mentor will set some assignments and challenges for you to complete. By applying for this scheme you commit to work closely with your mentor and respond to these assignments. How much time these will take can be agreed on a case by case basis and be calibrated to fit with your other commitments. In addition each mentee will produce new work that will be featured in the upcoming Annual 44 The Quay exhibition in Waterford.
Applications are open to artists working across all painting and drawing mediums. The mentoring will not be primarily focused on technique, but on helping artists evaluate their own practice and uncover opportunities to develop.
Artists working in any style or guided by any philosophy will be considered. We encourage you to check out the work and biographies of each of the participating mentors to get a sense of the range of expertise available within the scheme.
This award is primarily targeted to support early to mid-career practicing artists. However, we will also consider art students who can demonstrate how online mentoring will help to address a gap which is not currently being satisfied through the college or course they are attending.
To help bring more focus to the program we have partnered with Artform who organise the Annual 44 the Quay exhibition in Waterford. This is one of the largest open submission exhibitions in Ireland. Each selected mentee is expected to produce new work from which one or more works will be feature in the exhibition alongside the work of your mentor. We believe that this provides a great opportunity for any artist to gain exposure in a high profile show and will be a worthy inclusion on any artist CV.
We will work hard through the selection process to identify mentor-mentee relationships that will work for both sides. All shortlisted applicants will have an opportunity to have an introductory call with the matched mentor to discuss how the engagement might work. This is an opportunity for both sides to verify if there is likely to be any incompatibility that could affect the outcomes of the mentoring. That said, any feedback or complaint can be made in confidence at any time during the program. We will treat all feedback seriously and will work on a case by case to resolve any difficulties and arrive at a resolution.
In order to ensure that mentors provide maximum value to mentees, they will be actively involved in the selection process. Taking care with your application form with considered responses will facilitate mentors to assess what potential mentees fit their expertise best and what is most likely to work best for both sides.
To participate in the scheme you must have either a laptop, desktop computer or tablet with a fast internet speed. Your device must be relatively up to date and capable of running Zoom and other free software that may be required over the course of your mentoring. As this scheme is for online mentoring exclusively, we assume that you are computer and internet literate and comfortable with using technology to browse the web, make online purchases, take part in video calls, edit documents and have basic file management skills.
We are grateful to the Arts Office Waterford City and County Council and Artform for their support