I’ve been involved with a number of Mentoring Programs, including the Carleton University Practicum Program, CSARN’s Mentorship Program, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters Ottawa. I very much enjoy Mentoring and sharing what I have learned in my many years of working in the arts.
CARLETON UNIVERSITY’S PRACTICUM PROGRAM
Carleton University’s Practicum Program offers students with third-year standing or above the opportunity to work on-site in one of Ottawa’s major art museums or cultural institutions to gain hands-on experience.
The Ottawa Art Society is somewhat different from the larger institutions, in that we organize talks and tours of visual arts organizations and of artists’ studios, and raise awareness and funds in support of visual arts organizations in Ottawa.
In the fall 2019, I worked with Yuval Gan, a third-year Art History Student. Yuval and I met with the Ottawa Community Foundation, she attended a number of our tours, and organized two fundraisers, including a tour of a private art collection and a tour and talk at the Art House Café.
In the fall 2021, I worked with Chloe Lemay, a fourth-year Art History Student. We also met with the Ottawa Community Foundation however, because of Covid, as we weren’t offering in-person tours, we visited a number of Ottawa galleries, attended the 2021 SAW AGM, and Chloe organized two fundraisers including an Art Walk of Market-area galleries, and a tour of SAW Gallery and SAW Nordic Lab.
CANADIAN SENIOR ARTISTS RESOURCE NETWORK (CSARN)
CSARN’s Mentoring Program invites Senior Artists to share their talent and experience with their younger colleagues. In 2021, I worked with Erin Galt, a third-year Art History student from the University of Ottawa, who interviewed the Directors of the five Ottawa arts institutions to learn how they adapted during Covid and which, if any, of the changes they made to their programming during Covid would be incorporated into their future planning. The results of the study are in the Archives of the Ottawa Arts Council.
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OTTAWA (BBBS)
In fall 2021, I participated in an exhilarating on-line session organized by BBBS entitled, “The Power of Mentoring X Arts and Culture,” which included three 20-minute discussions about careers in the arts with high school students.
Photograph by Angelina Barrucco, 2021
