The Role Of A Mentor

Mentoring Program

A mentor is a teacher, coach and cheerleader all rolled in to one. Our 2017 mentorships problem allows participants to determine their own outcomes.

These outcomes may include:

• Learning new artistic skills
• Producing a body of artwork
• Working Collaboratively
• Working towards an art exhibition
• Marketing
• Developing on line marketing skills.

Our first step in matching the participants to the right mentor to enable them to achieve their goals is to determine who will receive places in our program. Once places are determine a panel, is in place to identify potential mentors.

If you are interested in growing as a visual artists, are already practising at professional level (ie have sold artwork) and live in Ipswich you are eligible to apply for our 2017 program. 

We are also accepting CV's for those interested in mentoring.  Our minimum requirement is been practicing for 5 years and/or 5 years teaching experience.

If we find a match for your skills you will be offered an interview to ensure you are a good match to the participant you work with.

Or you may like to apply for the program in view to mentoring in the next program intake.

There are no up front fees. Initial mentors will charge Ignite Artists an hourly rate.  You will then be required to repay costs, through mentoring others, fundraise or other volunteer work with us.

Please email us for more information or an application form. Applicant's may use alterative format for applications.

Artisablity Mentor Program 2017

Our New 2017 Program is

about linking artist together

to learn and grow.

What is a mentor?

A mentor assist with the development of your artistic practise. You can state the areas you are looking for assistance with.

This may include:

• Skill development in a specific art form
• Developing work for exhibition
• Putting an proposal together for a gallery
• Marketing your work
• Collaborative projects

Who can apply?

For the opening intake we are looking a artists working at professional level.  We class a professional as anyone who has exhibited, sold artwork or won awards.  Any person living in Ipswich Greater Region can apply.

Once the program is establish it will be offered to all artists.

Cost of the program 

There are no up front fees. We are hoping to develop a social enterprise to sustain the program overtime. Six months into the program you will be require to:

• Contribute to an art retreat and assist with organising
• Consider mentoring someone or assist with fundraising

Time commitment

1. First 18 weeks meeting one on one with your mentor for 3 to 4 hour per week.
2. Organising and running art retreats every 6 months
3. Second 18 weeks meet with your mentor and work for the network for 3 hours per week or fundraise.
4. Last 18 weeks work for the network for 3 hour per week or fundraise.

Successful Applicants

• Decide on merit
• And their ability to contribute to the Ipswich art community.

Important Dates

• Application close 30th Sept
• Finalist announced mid October
• Participants announced 3rd Dec
• Program commences Feb 2017

To apply message us for application from

Community Access

Yesterday I was able to participate in our Arts Connect Pop-up Art Gallery thanks to a portable ramp. An accessible toilet was not so easy, I found one closed for maintenance. However access is more than ramps and toilets. With the National Disability Insurance Scheme being rolled out, with community participation being at its centre piece, what we thought through all the access issues that need addressing?

What is access? Access is the removal of any barriers that present for a person living with disability to enable them to fully participate in a community activity. This can be physical, environmental - lighting and sound both effect my seizure activity, temperature can be a issue for others.  However nothing delivers a barrier as strong as the social norms that govern a community.

Ask any parent of a child with ASD what the multiple access barriers are for them to attend a movie or go out to dinner. The Australian government in its wisdom is support people to participate in the community through the National Disability Insurance Scheme, however given little thought to how to foster the inclusion of people living with disabilities into mainstream community life.

We need to become much more proactive about raising the awareness to the truths about disabilities and dispelling the myths. In the wider community their is little know about disabilities and most of what is known are myths.

A very common myth is that people with intellectual disabilities can not learn not can they read or write.  People with all intellectual abilities have some ability to learn and most a confident in personal grooming.  Many are about to write and sign their name on non legal documents.

Given the correct support many people with learning disabilities and mild intellectual disabilities are very capable of living independently in the community either in their own home or with others.  There should be no reason why people with disabilities are living segregate lives.

Another misconception is the "blind" people or those who are visually impaired see total blackness.  My people with visual impairment can see shades of grey and outline of objects.  The access issues for these people are lack of appropriate lighting, trip harasses and non acceptance of working dogs. 

All working dogs including guide dogs are toilet trained.  There are unlike to soil a car, there is more likelihood that a taxi will be soiled by a drunk person vomiting that a working dog using the car seat as a toilet.  Working dogs are not pets, and shouldn't be patter while working, this will undermine the authority of its master.

Just like yourself a person living with disability is an individual who has their own talents to contribute to our community. Disability can affect people in many different ways.  Two people could have a stoke in the same area of the brain and yet have to very different prognoses.  Other factors often determine the disability level of a person this may include, family ancestry, genetically influences,  other health issues, environmental, family values, age and many more.  

The more we can encourage and embrace people living with disabilities to participate in community life, the more understanding can be shared.  There is much as an arts worker, I don't know about many disabilities, I like everybody else am learning on the job.  Mostly I have learnt not to assume anything, even information passed on to me has been incorrect.

Community Access is an issue that the whole community faces, as we embrace the changes in pathways under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.   Lets keep in on the agenda.

Mentoring Process

Mentoring Program

ArtISability is moving towards assisting the Ipswich arts community to strength its network system by connecting arts together to foster skills development.  I (Deb Chilton) manager have always desired to empower artists living with disability and metal illness to make their own decisions around the direction of their own art practise. I believe this is possible regardless of the IQ level of a person, given the appropriate support.

Offering a selection of workshops can not always ensure individual choice is always meet.  By offering one-on-one tuition, artists can be match to tutors who specialise in the areas and discipline they chose. Not every artists is interested in exhibiting and selling their artwork, some are drawn to teaching, others to digital applying the artwork to products and a small group of artists practise for emotional wellbeing.

My art, my way allows individuals the opportunity to direct their own pathways and work on individual projects suited to their artistic goals.  While a mentor might also tutor you in artistic skills, they are their to guide your overall development as an artist.

Our 2017 mentoring programme will give participants someone walk beside them as they work towards achieving their individual goals. These goals might be:-

• Working towards a solo art exhibition
• Developing a cottage industry
• art installation
• Developing a digital print range
• Portfolio Development
• Creating an online presence
• Selling art online
• Art and design
• Working on public art projects.

This is a very limited list of goals you could work on with a mentor. I am currently working with a mentor to build my online art practise.  Learning about how to photograph my artwork, editing my images, marketing and running a online store.  Something a class would not offer me.

I will be applying for funding for a number of mentorship places in 2017.  These places are for professional artists who are already exhibition and selling artwork.  As the network develops we will be offering places to emerging artist, and those wanting to be hobbyist.

The mentorship program will launch our Ignite Artists Network. Recipients will be required to join the network team for a period of 18 months, exchange for the services provided by the network successful applicants will be required to tutor, run retreats and mentor other artists who join our network or fundraise on behalf in the hope that overtime we can run independent of arts funding.

Applications for places in our 2017 Mentorship program are now open, use the contact gadget or message us for an application form.

 Applications are open to all residents in Ipswich

Applications Close on 30th September

Finalist notified by 14 th October

Successful applications announced

3 rd December 2016

Places are dependent on

successful art grant applications

Once successful finalist are selected we will be seeking professional artists to engage in mentoring in 2017.

If you are wanting to be considered Deb will take you CV

for a database of people to considering to be engaged and paid mentors.  These mentors should be well advanced in their

art practise or have a minimum 5 years teaching experience.

Email Deb

Dirvesity in Creative Communities

Embracing Diversity

My leadership goal is simple . . . I want to change the world one person at a time.  I often feel like a lone individual fighting for real social change in my local community. A community that tells me it doesn't exist.

Have a told you how much I love a challenge?  What makes a community, is the people who link together.  The are a small group of Ipswich artist doing this already, their mission is to promote local artists to create awareness of the artistic talent in the region. Others are looking for "a home"  - A physical space to create, to teach and sell art. Their vision is  to create or 'recreate' a arts prestinict the heart of Ipswich!

Something the Ipswich Art Society and Arts Connect have been attempting to do for a number of years.  Their are other fringe groups seeking to do likewise  like Ipswich Inspirations. A physical space has not worked in the past so how it going to work this time.

Let me be honest here, I have a real problem with physical spaces in terms of my social inclusion planning.

While some access issues as easily over come,  accessible building is not just about entrances and accessible toilets. The layout of many buildings are a logistical  nightmare as anyone who has travelled with me. 

I feel a building can create exclusion to others outside our creative group.  It saids "this is our place" we're we belong is that our aim.  Note I have the same issues with many churches, waiting for people to come to us and fitting in with our way.

What is need and what creates real sustainable change is rethinking and reinventing the way we create communities. For me that is about creating a network of minds that think a like. Unless a group of people have a 'shared vision' a sense of community can not be obtained.  A 'shared vision' is much more than an agreed end goal, its about sharing the same processes in order to achieved the outcome that has been agreed upon.

This is certainly my experience with ArtISability, sure we put art work on the wall, sure our artist sold work, sure we established a brand and sure we made connections. However in the end 'our brand' was what others wanted us to be.  Our artists were still seen as "different" or "special" and the Ipswich arts community and CBD remain inaccessible to most artists in our program.

 Social inclusion involves an acknowledgement that all members of the group are of equal importance, regardless of where they finding themselves in their artistic careers. I have given up on 'what is good art?' and guessing 'which pieces will sell at exhibition.  I like to tell my students that the magic key to sales, is finding the right person, with the right space to hang your artwork and falls in love with your work. What I or an art critic then thinks is irrelevant.

As Ipswich artists Judith Baker puts it once my artwork is hanging on the gallery wall, my disability becomes invisible.  It is not my or anybody's else's to decide if artwork is saleable and what the price should be.  That is the job of the artist and the nature of their disability is irrelevant and this is what I want my art community to see.

Artwork by artists living with disabilities needs to be held in the very same regard as anyone else in the community.  What I consider to be of artistic appeal will be different.  It is that 'diversity' I am seeking the Ipswich Arts Community to embrace. Not by any means a lower standard of work.

"Cultural Diversity"

"seen in the style and colour combination of the work"

It is my wish, that artists could resist focusing on the physical and start embracing the common thread that drives us to create. Then we will be the Ipswich community come into bloom!

Growing Creative Communities

According to Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale

"The heart and soul of a community

is its arts!"

Tomorrow 6th August is your change to experience the Ipswich arts community, while feasting of great food.  I'll be in attendance at the Arts Connect Pop-up shop!

My Octopus' Garden Collection

With some of my fellow members of Arts Connect. As you know I am keen to support the arts community to embrace diversity and support artists living with disability.  Access for artists living with disability and mental illness is a huge issue.  Supporting local business is difficult and often business owners serve me at the door. So for tomorrow only ArtISability is opening up Brisbane Street, we will have a portable ramp stored at the old Vinnie's Store at the top end of top.

If you wheel by and ask for the ramp I can have some set it up for you to access the beautiful shops at the top end of town. You can reach me on 0421 401 788.  Days like tomorrow are important to connect the whole Ipswich Community. 

Creating a community network is not about a building or landmark, people linking community together is what creates a sense of community. While we sit waiting for a home for the arts, we continue to waste opportunities to collaborate and promote our art!

Banding together and promoting each other is the way to build our community. Street Feast tomorrow provides that opportunity. Come in and bring your friends and arrange to have coffee with an artist in two weeks time to share ideas.  The more we connect the more we build community.  Investing in each other is what's required.

Power of Telling Stories

Today I've decided to revisit "Telling Your Artistic Story"

Telling your artistic story

In my work at ArtISability I often ask people what their end goal is. Some people just want to have a dabble with paint and others tell me they're interested in selling their artwork.  Some of the artists I work with at ArtISability, will be eligible for support under the NDIS to run their artistic practise, for these artists they will need to communication their story well to ensure they will be supported by the NDIA to achieve their goals.

The rules for setting goals are:-

• Must be clear to everyone (I want to sell my work), is clear.
• Must be measurable (when you sell your work you have achieved your goal)
• Support required must be reasonable and necessary. (I think being an artist is reasonable).
• Must be cost effective, the NDIA is not going to pay for your set-up cost, art supplies, gallery hirer, website development, marketing fees. These are all costs that we as professional artists need to budget for.  The NDIA will pay for necessary costs of getting to work, support to produce art and assistance to get it to its sale point.
• Planning - How will you fun your set-up costs. Take an inventory, know the resources you are starting with and find out the cost of getting your work to the point of sale.

So who besides the NDIA needs to hear your story?

I like to say everyone, the more you share your story, the easier it will become.  "Word of mouth" is still your most economical and powerful marketing tool. There are lots of other ways to market your work, such as social media, like facebook or giving out flyers like the one above.

However as a professional artist their are very formal ways you will need to tell your story.  When you approach a art gallery, they will want to here your story and see samples of your work.  These are know as Artist Bios, CVs or Artists Statements and a portfolio of your artwork.

My artwork hanging in a gallery

So the first 'tool' in telling your story is to keep a record of your artwork through photographs. Keeping photos of your art on your mobile phone is a great 'tool' to use when talk to people you meet in the street. So here's my first golden rule in sharing your story with others.

Golden Rule # 1 - Don't ask people in the street if the want to buy your artwork.

Random people you meet in the street or at the bus stop are not the sales point for a profession artists.  Professional artists sell there work through art competitions, galleries, gallery shops or sometimes online. If people are really interest in your work they will ask or you could give them your business card.  A business card could be a miniature version of your story.

It has your name

(I have a postbox, I do not give out my home address)

Contact details:  Email / or phone

Your online presence (facebook, twitter, website)

I also have a online shop (this is a point of sale and one way to start putting your name out there.

I also think using you own artwork on your business card is a good way to spread your story.

So as you can see there are some small items you start to need to pay for in order to sell your work.

I recently bought some business card 500 for $60. While producing your artwork you're also be buying art supplies and to sell your artwork you also need to think about the cost of framing you work.

Some you might need to borrow some money, apply for a grant or find a sponsor, online crowdfunding is a new way artists are funding the art projects.  Again you will need to tell your story in a more formal way.

Sharing Your Journey

One of the reason you might share your story or journey with friends, neighbours, people in your youth group or work, is to build a bit of a support group or network around you.  These are the people you need to become your personal cheer squad. While some of these people might buy your work, what your want to do is as these people to invest in you journey and travel with you.

Golden rule # 2 - Don't ask people to buy your work straight-up

Sharing your journey requires some form of emotional connection. So the first ingredient you want to share with them is 'your passion'. Before asking others to believe in you, you need to show them - you're real deal.  You're in this gig for the long haul and your willing to invest you time and money into delivering your artwork to the gallery.

From this 'network' of people you may like to as for references, testimonials or a graduator in case you skip town. If you find you need to raise some cash through fundraising these are the people who might help, especially if you a passionate body of energy.  If you 've be pestering them for sales that may not work.

If your an artists you might have other artist in your network so if your wanting to enlist their support it's not going to go down to well if you haven't been promoting their events and attending their openings.  You need to be actively support them.  Offering to take the exhibition flyers to coffee shops.  Physically I find it hard to get to openings on a Friday night.  If its an artist that has assist me or I am wanting to encourage, I might push myself.

You can bet I am sharing all artist events on facebook.  To be a community we need to be linking with each other and providing support. I have posted on that before.  The more you are supporting others and sharing you growth journey as an artist, the more likely others will be spreading the word.

As you approach you first solo opening night, hopefully you might have local community support to really behind you to put on a spread, or you might ask a local business to support you.

Your opening night is another opportunity to share your journey and passion.  Those attending are going to want to hear the created process behind putting your show together

Golden rule # 3 - Thank the people who have helped you in your journey.  Public acknowledgment helps them know you appreciate them.

In summary

• Telling you story is about inviting people to come on a journey.
• It's a invitation to your cheer squad
• It require you to invest in them.
• It's only about sales at the actual point of sale

Read my story