Nordic Circle of Artistic Management:
Mentoring in the Arts – Seminar 2019

Project Description

Nordic Circle of Artistic Management is an international network created for the development of production and management skills across the field of dance. The network spans all the Nordic countries, with main partners SITE Sweden, Performing Arts Hub Norway, Project Centre /Dansehallerne (Denmark), Dance Atelier (Iceland) and Arts Management Helsinki (Finland).

During 2016–2018, Nordic Circle of Artistic Management has organised a two-year project in two strands: an international mentoring program for producers and self-producing artists; and a series of open workshops for professionals within the international field of dance. These two years were highly successful. Two cycles of mentorshop programmes included a total of 30 mentors and mentees from the Nordic countries, and the knowledge and relationships created within these cycles have proven to be invaluable.

In 2019, the Nordic Circle partners want to share the knowledge and experiences gathered during the past two years to the public, and expand the reach of this mentoring programme to the larger arts community.

MENTORING IN THE ARTS
International Seminar 2019
@ Hanaholmen Culture Center, Finland

This international seminar consists of two days. On the first day, the participants of the Nordic Circle mentoring cycles will come together to discuss experiences and to further develop mentoring in the Nordic context.

On the second day, Hanaholmen will host an open seminar on the theme of Mentoring in the Arts. In this open seminar, mentoring will be discussed from two perspectives: Mentoring for Artists, and Mentoring for Producers.

The seminar is organized together by the Nordic Circle partners and Hanaholmen Culture Center.

The seminar is supported by Svenska Kulturfonden, the Nordic Culture Fund, the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Foundation, the Finnish-Danish Cultural Foundation, and the Icelandic-Finnish Cultural Foundation.

More info

Mentoring in the Arts: For Dance Producers

The field of contemporary dance in the Nordic countries is developing quickly, with a growing number of artists entering a changing landscape of disappearing structures, diminishing public funding and unpredictable cultural policies. To strengthen the contemporary dance field and to give it sustainability, it is vital to grow the skills and structures for management, collaboration and production in the field.

Encouraging professional growth of less established dance producers or managers via mentoring by experienced colleagues is important for the development of the Nordic dance field. Mentoring is a sustainable way of sharing knowledge, experience and resources.

Mentors play an important role in supporting and helping to develop the structures of the arts ecosystem. They provide their mentees with broader access to the Nordic dance community and cultural landscape by sharing ideas, advice, resources, and experiences.

A mentor can help the mentee to broaden their horizons and understand the overall strategic direction of their own professional career or artistic path, or the goals of their organisation. A mentor can raise the awareness of the possibilities for work opportunities.

During 2016–2018, a total of 30 Nordic dance professionals have taken part in the mentorship program of the Nordic Circle of Artistic Management. In this seminar, the knowledge and experiences will be shared in discussions, and the best practices of the program will be developed further in workshops.

Mentoring in the Arts: For Artists

In 2018, SITE Sweden, Milvus Artistic Research Center (MARC) and Kivik & Knislinge, initiated a four-part Think Tank on the topic of artistic mentorship. The outcome was tools for mentoring artists in all stages of their work as well as a deepened understanding of the role mentorship plays in the fields of dance and choreography. MENTORING TOOLBOX – For Artists is a publication with 8 activities intended to initiate and define relationships, agitate creative processes, and illuminate the artistic needs of the mentee. It also includes examples, personal stories, and documents to support the tools. The toolbox is a practical instrument to widen thinking before, during, and around artistic mentorship. In the seminar, the book will be presented by SITE Sweden.

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