Artists' Mentoring Programme

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Peer Mentoring with Chloe Cooper at Baltic, 2018

Each year we provide NC artists with an individual mentor.

One-to-One Mentoring

We programme mentoring to provide practical support and advice to New Contemporaries artists. These free one-to-one sessions are with respected UK art world figures who have included Adelaide Bannerman, Benjamin Cook, Lucy Day, Anne Duffau, Mary Doyle, Janice McLaren Soraya Rodriguez, Chris Rawcliffe, Evan Ifekoya, Ama Josephine Budge and Ceri Hand.

During the sessions, mentors will feedback on the artists’ work, suggest potential directions it might take, where it might be sustained within the contemporary arts ecology and introduce artists to organisations and individuals who might support them. This is a valuable opportunity to access experienced specialists and experts with a wealth of knowledge about the realities of forging a career as an artist in the UK art scene and beyond.

It is a great privilege to have mentoring sessions. One of the main things I missed after graduation were the one on one tutorial sessions. Mentoring sessions are crucial for an artist and could really boost you, shape your work and show you ways that you wouldn’t have thought of before. Roxman Gatt 2016 NC Artist

Artquest is an organisation dedicated to supporting artists develop their practices and careers by connecting them to the resources, opportunities and networks they need.

Read about the 2020 Mentoring & Networking programme here

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Peer Networking with Artquest

Peer mentoring is an essential but often overlooked aspect of an artist’s working life. Peer groups provide not only critical feedback necessary to develop work, but also the practical day to day support and encouragement that is the lifeblood of a sustainable practice. As part of our public programme each year we partner with Artquest in organising public events with our exhibition venues that focus on the impact and methodologies of Peer Mentoring for artists.

These participatory sessions are led by artist and peer mentor, Chloe Cooper, who introduces the practice of peer mentoring and its benefits, suggesting ways to establish groups and models of feedback. As part of the session attendees are asked to share their practice within a small group.

As someone who didn’t leave my BA with an established group of peers, it was early networking opportunities that provided me with the chance to develop support networks with artists who shared my commitment to artistic practice. Activities like the ones we initiated recently online with New Contemporaries 2020 cohort of artists offered up the tools to start building connections, fostering curiosity for each other's practices, sharing interpretations, asking each other to reflect on where they’re at and what they need to be able to keep practising. These are all necessary skills within community building and it’s communities that we need right now, more than ever. The power of the collective is strong! Chloe Cooper, artist, educator and workshop leader