Mawa: Mentoring artists for women's art

No relation whatsoever to Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Association

ELYSSA STELMAN STAFF

Being a fourth-year fine arts student, I am all too conscious of the nagging doubts that creep in and weaken one’s resolve. For some students, grad school is the logical next step. Some may decide to teach, or become an administrator, a curator, or a designer. But what happens when someone decides to pursue an independent artistic practice (either full or part-time) without the structure or shared responsibility of an institutional career?

The artist’s world is self-directed. Any romantic illusion of the artist is crushed in the understanding that the emerging artist must create work, but also document it, promote it and financially account for all that activity. There are also some very basic and practical issues that nobody addresses in art school: how do you make a portfolio, or write a contract with a gallery; if you are selling work, how high/low do set your prices, is it by the square inch/foot, and do you need a business license; or better yet, how on earth do you file taxes under the heading ”artist”?! But there are other realities, like the feeling of isolation that may materialize once stripped of the critical dialogue and the community of art school.

Artist Reva Stone maintains that many art school graduates “often fall into the black abyss.” Luckily, Winnipeg has a range of resources for emerging artists. MAWA, or Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art, is one such resource. Their mandate is to encourage and support the professional development of women in an “ongoing forum for education and critical dialogue.” The association was born out of the mid-’80s, a time when many sessional instructors at the university were women, but when it was difficult for a woman to secure a tenured position. Also, the perception at the time was that Winnipeg’s own Plug-In Gallery did not grant access to local women artists. Although the cultural climate has shifted since 1984 when MAWA first opened its doors, its mandate to support women artists has not changed.

MAWA offers a variety of programs. The Foundation Mentorship program pairs emerging women artists with an established artist for a year. MAWA program assistant Vanessa Kroeker points to the “critical function” that the mentorship serves because Winnipeg does not have a graduate school. Kroeker says that “a lot of women enter into the program out of the [School of Art] either as an alternative to a graduate program or [as] a bridge while searching around for graduate programs.”

“We have lectures, discussions, workshops and talk about more practical things like how to set up an exhibition proposal, how to apply for grants, and more theoretical or critical concerns,” said Kroeker. “It’s a really great way to make connections with other artists, curators, and arts administrators in the city.”

Reva Stone, the first student of the program, but one who has now mentored others and exhibits internationally, says that MAWA was crucial in the development of her career.

“Having Aganetha [Dyck] originally as my mentor saying ‘go for it, go for it, go for it’ gave me the confidence to take a step that I needed to take,” said Stone. After the mentorship program, she made the leap from painting to digital media, exploring voice-and facial-recognition technologies among others.

Although the mentorship program is exclusive to women, the other programs are not. The First Fridays series (an informal lunch hour workshop) is open to the public. There are artist talks and studio visits that are available to everyone. Natalija Subotincic, associate professor of architecture at the University of Manitoba, will speak Saturday, Nov. 25, on her look into the meaning encrypted in household spaces. Freud at the Dining Table is free to the public and starts at 2 p.m..

In addition to MAWA, CARFAC, or the Canadian Artists Representation/Le Front des Artistes Canadiens, can be a valuable place to learn more about copyright, artists’ rights, and all sorts of contracts. Both organizations publish newsletters that print calls for submissions of artwork, employment opportunities, grant deadlines and the like; and both get you discounts at local art stores. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of young members of CARFAC. It is regrettable to think what might happen to these organizations if the younger generation does not begin to play a more active role.

The point is that there are resources out there to help ease the transition of the emerging artist. Like any good resource though, information and education kick-start confidence: the confidence it takes to pursue the direction of one’s own choosing and to engage with the bigger world.

The call for applications for MAWA’s mentoring program occurs in January. For more information about MAWA visit www.mawa.ca.