AAAE seeks mentees for its mentorship program. This is a unique opportunity for early-career arts administration educators and emerging arts administrators to receive focused mentoring, networking opportunities, knowledge exchange, and access to AAAE’s wealth of membership resources. Up to ten successful candidates will be paired with seasoned mentors in one of the program tracks: Arts Administration Education and Arts Administration.
Structured Mentor-Mentee Program: Participants will work on individual goals through one-on-one meetings over a ten-month period. Examples of successful mentor-mentee partnerships may include, but are not limited to: navigating the job market in arts administration, education, or the creative workforce; transitioning to arts administration education from other adjacent disciplines or from the arts administration practice; developing a new course and syllabus; and honing research skills and qualifications in arts leadership and arts management.
In addition to receiving rigorous, individualized guidance, mentees will co-produce an online series that explores the arts at the intersection of other public spheres. Mentees will also have the opportunity to attend AAAE’s annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Cross-Exposures: Under the guidance of the AAAE’s executive director, the mentees will co-organize a series of presentations or round tables that will bring together artists, arts administrators, researchers, and educators to interrogate the current play of the arts administration profession, the role of education, changing responsibilities and competences required to ensure that, as the next generation of arts administrators, the mentees feel confident creating, developing and executing impactful programming and leadership decisions for a diverse and inclusive audience. The series will be produced in close collaboration with the mentees to refine their skills in managing public programming and deepen their understanding of the broader societal impact of the arts. The cohort will be divided into small interest-based groups responsible for refining or modifying the suggested themes, collecting background information, gathering data and research, liaising with speakers, and promoting the series.
Study Visit: The visit to the 46th annual conference of AAAE in Pittsburgh, US will include guided tours to local art organizations and museums, and will provide connections to a robust network of professional contacts in the field, access to local art organizations, and a visibility of the cohort through a public presentation. Mentees will receive a travel stipend.
Mentees of diverse backgrounds and geographies are encouraged to apply. We hope this program will be especially beneficial to members in locations with limited access to arts, whose students might be more positively impacted from building a professional community and gaining long-term career support.
Eligibility
Candidates must be AAAE members at the time of their application or enrolled in member institutions. To become a member, please follow this LINK.
- Early career educators with up to five years of teaching experience in arts administration or a related field are eligible.
- Current undergraduate and graduate students or two years from graduation in arts administration or a related field are eligible.
Interested candidates may email a résumé and a statement of interest using the following LINK. Deadline: 3 February 2025, 11:59 pm EDT. Please email any questions to mdeleva@artsadministration.org with a subject line “Mentorship Program”.
