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 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
For more information about peer mentoring, you can read Chloe Cooper's how-to resource about Artist Peer Support Groups here.
Artist Peer Support Groups PDF
