the queer|art|mentorship

QUEER|ART|MENTORSHIP supports a year-long exchange between emerging and established artists in four different creative fields: Film, Literature, Performance, and Visual Art.

• The Queer|Art|Mentorship program nurtures exchange between LGBTQ+ artists at all levels of their careers and works against a natural division between generations and disciplines.
• Fellows apply with a specific project they would like to work on during the program and meet with their Mentors monthly to discuss their progress.
• Fellows also meet each month as a group to work through important issues shaping their creative and professional development in a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment.
• The program begins in January and ends in October.
• “QAM Debuts” are virtual artist talks scheduled throughout the program year in which current Fellows introduce their work to the broader QAM community and receive vital feedback. “The QAM Works-in-Progress (WIP)” series provides additional opportunities for Fellows to advance their Mentorship projects through public in-person presentations.

Mission

QUEER|ART|MENTORSHIP was founded to develop an intergenerational and interdisciplinary network of support and shared knowledge for LGBTQ+ artists. The program nurtures exchange between artists at all levels of their careers, working against a social separation between generations and disciplines.

Structure

The program is a year in length. Fellows in Film, Performance, Literature, and Visual Art apply with a specific project they would like to work on during the program. Proposing a project is a way for Fellows to introduce themselves to Mentors, and working on that project in dialogue with a Mentor is a way to focus the development of the relationship. Keeping Queer|Art|Mentorship project-based also provides a manner by which to assess, and modify if necessary, the program’s long-term effectiveness in facilitating and supporting the actual creation of new work.

The program is largely driven by the unique character of each Mentor/Fellow pairing, organized through individual monthly meetings. Fellows also meet each month as a group in an environment that provides an opportunity for sharing ideas across disciplines and gathering further support among peers. The entire group of Mentor/Fellow pairs also convenes for two dinners throughout the cycle, hosted by Queer|Art. Throughout the year, Queer|Art staff engage in an ongoing dialogue with the Mentors and Fellows in an effort to ensure that the program best serves its participants. Further opportunities for ongoing career education and development will be sought out as the unique needs of each group of Fellows are assessed.

History & Context

Queer|Art|Mentorshipwas born of a need to address the lack of support for queer content in a variety of cultural sectors and the scarcity of examples of sustainable careers for LGBTQ+ artists. A sensitivity to the absence of mentors who would have emerged from the generation most strongly affected by AIDS is also a palpable and driving force behind the program. The program launched in 2011.

Queer|Art|Mentorship aims to expand the perceived value of queer work and cultivate a collection of voices that amplify queer artistic experience. The program does not expect any kind of specific content in terms of artists’ work or how queerness manifests within and around it.

Program duration: January - October 2026 (10 months)