I was fortunate to have been chosen to be part of the 2014-15 Foundation Mentorship mentee cohort.  This rigorous and worthy mentorship is a core program of Mentoring Artists for Women's Art (MAWA).  For the 2014-15 cohort, Divya Mehra worked with Shimby Zegeye and Laura Magnusson, Reva Stone worked with Alison Davis, Daina Warren worked with Wendy Seversen and Katrina Stock, and Melanie Rocan worked with Elyse Saurette and Lisa Bédard.

To quote MAWA,

The Foundation Mentorship Program has been MAWA’s core activity since 1985. It is offered each year because it is so effective in helping participants in their journey toward being professional artists. Many women who have gone through the program describe it as having been “pivotal” and “transformative.”

It is a year-long program in which established artists share their experience with developing artists. It is designed to help women in the visual arts develop skills and define their decision-making philosophies, and to provide access to the information, resources and support they need to realize their goals. In addition to a one-on-one relationship with a mentor, the program provides a peer group for the mentees through group meetings.

The final mentorship activity was a showcase of the mentees' work completed during the term of study, which we entitled "you didn't tell me so i thought it was okay".  Four of the seven original mentees participated.  The group commissioned a piece of critical writing about the work and the artists, by art writer and critic Courtney Thompson.  The essay and the photos of the installed showcase can be found in this section.