pARTner Up

Are you ready to grow your arts practice?

pARTner Up connects creatives in mentor-mentee relationships that propel artists to build confidence, thrive and flourish with their art at the centre of their success.

What is pARTner Up?

pARTner Up is an arts mentoring programme, operating across the Peninsula and Hauraki, offering a one-to-one partnering system for artists in the roles of mentee and mentor. The aim of the programme is to develop, deepen and/or further the level of excellence of art in our locality, support our artists to flourish artistically, and maintain a high level of professionalism in our approaches to artmaking and mentoring.

Who is pARTner Up for?

The programme is open to artists of various disciplines, and we hold the view that mentors do not necessarily need a background in the same discipline as their mentee. There is, therefore, a focus for mentors on facilitation, coaching and critiquing skills as applicable to the creative process. The mentor is also a well-established arts professional who has achieved a level of excellence in their own art form.

The programme is a container for practising new learning based on individual needs. The programme does not focus on teaching art techniques but encourages awareness of the creative process and one’s place within it, and tools to further engage.

pARTner Up offers in-depth professional and practice development, and mentees will be committed to their art and have a level of competence in their field.

When can I apply for pARTner Up?

The next round of pARTner Up intakes will open in 2023.

If you would like to stay in the loop about important pARTner Up 2023 dates and more, please sign up below.

Who are the mentors?

Our mentors’ practices cover a wide range of disciplines including painting, printing, weaving, ceramics, photography, jewellery, curatorial work, arts management, community arts work, and teaching of workshops.

2021

Annie Smits Sandano
Sally Tennent-Brown
Ian Preece
Kathryn Tsui

2020

James Webster
Kelly Harrison
Jacquie Ellis
Sally Tennent-Brown
Hilary Falconer
Chris Charteris
Annie Smits Sandano

What role do the mentors play?

• A champion for you via a one-to-one mentoring conversation for 16 hours over six months
• A well-established arts professional who has achieved a level of excellence in their own art form

What does the programme include?

• An initial facilitated group workshop in which you will be helped to explore your goals for your art practice and build a safe learning environment
• Working with an artist mentor for a minimum of six months with 16 hours of contact (full programme)
• Group workshops spaced throughout the programme, the content and number of which will be determined by the requirements of the mentees. These may incorporate specific business skills tutors, guest speakers, and group work. There will be four 5-hour workshops
• Regular support from the Mentee Coordinator

What makes the programme unique is the aspect of experience gained by each participant. With the freedom to work with what arises in the mentorship container rather than follow prescribed objectives within a systemic structure, a unique outcome is guaranteed. Mentees and mentors are encouraged to think of the mentorship as a co-created relationship.

Stay tuned for more information on pARTner Up.