zo o m
V o ices
H
o w
i m
p o r t a n t
h a s m
e n t o r s h i p
—
e i t h e r h a v i n g
a m
e n t o r o r
b e i n g o n e —
b e e n
i n
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u
r c a r e e r ?
E a r ly o n in m y c a r e e r I r e m e m -
b e r a s k in g a f e l l o w w r it e r h o w
h e d id a r tis t p r o file s s o q u ic k ly —
w e w e r e w r it i n g f o r a w e e k l y
a r ts p u b lic a t i o n w i t h a h e a v y
w o r k lo a d a n d s h o r t t u r n -
a r o u n d . H e r e p li e d , “ Q u i c k
a n d d ir ty ! I t ’s n o t b r a in s u r -
g e r y ! ” N o t h e lp f u l. M o s t o f
th e m e n to r s I ’ v e h a d in m y 25
y e a r s o f p r o fe s s io n a l w r it i n g
h a v e b e e n t h e p e o p le I ’v e in t e r -
v i e w e d , w h o s e li v e s a n d a r t
h a v e e n g a g e d m e s o t h a t I ’v e
w a n t e d t o h o n e m y s k ills to
s h a r e t h e ir s to r ie s .
— G u s s i e F a u n t le r o y ,
w r i t e r ,
C r e s t o n e ,
C O
I a m f o r t u n a t e t o b e a m e n t o r
a n d t o h a v e b e e n m e n t o r e d b y
o th e r s . D u r in g m y a c a d e m ic
s tu d ie s , s e v e r a l a r t h is to r ia n s ,
c u r a to r s a n d p r o fe s s o r s
a s s is t e d m e a lo n g m y jo u r n e y ,
e n r ic h in g m y e x p e r i e n c e s .
In m y c u r r e n t p o s it io n a t th e
A r i z o n a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y A r t
M u s e u m , I m e n t o r s tu d e n t
in t e r n s a s w e l l a s a y o u n g e r
g e n e r a t io n o f c u r a to r s a n d w r i t -
e rs a c r o s s th e c o u n t r y . I r e c e iv e
as m u c h as I g i v e , k n o w i n g
t h a t th e fu tu r e o f th e fie ld is in
g o o d h a n d s .
— P e t e r H e ld ,
c u r a t o r , A S U
A r t M u s e u m C e r a m i c s R e s e a r c h
C e n t e r , T e m p e , A Z
T h r o u g h o u t m y c a r e e r , I ’v e
f e l t an o b lig a t io n t o b e a m e n -
t o r f o r u p - a n d - c o m in g m a k e r s .
M y y e a r s o f e x p e r i e n c e h a v e
c e r t a in ly r a is e d m y c o n s c i o u s -
n e s s o f w h a t a r tis ts s h o u ld
k n o w . T h e m y r ia d c h a lle n g e s
a n d r o a d b lo c k s e n c o u n t e r e d
a t a ll le v e ls p r o m p t e d m e to
w r i t e P r o f e s s io n a l G u id e lin e s
a n d m y b l o g , A s k H a r r ie t e , o n
m y w e b s i t e . B e i n g a m e n t o r
is in v a lu a b le . S h a r in g in fo r m a -
t io n w i t h y o u r a r ts c o m m u n it y
e n a b le s e v e r y o n e t o g r o w in
t h e p r o c e s s —d e f i n it e l y a w in -
w i n s it u a t io n in m y e y e s . T h e
d e c is io n c a n ’ t b e b a s e d o n
w h e t h e r it m a k e s a p r o fit fo r
y o u ; i t ’ s a ll a b o u t g i v i n g b a c k
t o y o u r c o m m u n it y .
— H a r r ie t e E s t e l B e r m a n ,
m e t a l s m i t h , S a n M a t e o , C A
W h e n I w a s d r a f tin g m y b u s i-
n e s s p la n in 2 0 0 4 ,1 a c t iv e ly
s o u g h t a d v ic e fr o m in d iv id u a ls
w it h in d u s tr y e x p e r ie n c e . I
w a s fo r t u n a t e th a t D e b K n e a le ,
fr o m S h o w o f H a n d s in C h e r r y
C r e e k ,
C O ,
a n d a b o a r d m e m b e r
o f C r a f t R e t a ile r s a n d A r t i s t s
f o r T o m o r r o w ( c r a f t ) ,
a g r e e d t o s p e a k w it h m e a b o u t
th e n u ts a n d b o lt s o f o p e r a tin g
a c r a ft g a lle r y : p o in t - o f- s a le
s y s t e m s , in s u r a n c e , c o n s ig n -
m e n t , c a s h - f lo w m a n a g e m e n t,
in v e n t o r y m a n a g e m e n t, p u r -
c h a s in g , p a c k a g in g , p r ic e p o in t
a n a ly s is , p r e s e n t a t io n a n d la b e l-
in g o f a r t w o r k , a n d “ r e a lit y
c h e c k s ” o f fin a n c ia l p r o je c tio n s .
I c a n ’t im a g in e h o w I c o u ld h a v e
la u n c h e d m y b u s in e s s w it h o u t
th e k n o w l e d g e I g a in e d th r o u g h
th o s e s h o r t, in t e n s e ly fo c u s e d
c o n v e r s a t io n s w i t h s o m e o n e
w h o ’ d b e e n in th is b u s in e s s f o r
m o r e th a n 2 0 y e a r s .
T h i s e x p e r ie n c e b e c a m e th e
t e m p la t e f o r
c r a f t ’ s
m e n t o r -
in g p r o g r a m .
— A n n R u h r P i f e r ,
G r a n d H a n d
G a l l e r y o w n e r , S t . P a u l , m n
M y e x p e r ie n c e w it h m e n t o r -
s h ip in b o t h m y e d u c a tio n a n d
c a r e e r h a s b e e n o n e o f le a d e r -
s h ip b y e x a m p le a n d a b a la n c e
b e t w e e n s tr o n g n u r tu r in g a n d
“ t u f f - l o v e .” I ’v e h a d th e p r i v i-
le g e t o le a r n m y c r a ft fr o m h ig h -
l y d y n a m ic a n d in flu e n tia l art-
is t / e d u c a t o r s . M y m e n to r s h a v e
s h o w n m e h o w t o “ k n o w m y
h is t o r y ” a n d e x p lo r e in n o v a t iv e
c r e a t iv e m e t h o d s . T h o u g h
I f r e q u e n t ly fa c e n e w h u r d le s
w it h i n m y s tu d io p r a c tic e ,
I c a n fa ll b a c k o n w h a t m y m e n -
to r s h a v e ta u g h t m e . I b e lie v e
th is is an in v a lu a b le r e s o u r c e in
th e a d v a n c e m e n t o f m y w o r k
a n d c a ree r.
— A n t h o n y T
a m m a r o , j e w e l e r ,
C o n s h o h o c k e n ,
p a
I w a s a b o u t t o g r a d u a te fr o m a r t
s c h o o l w h e n it o c c u r r e d t o m e
th a t I w a s n o t y e t p r e p a r e d to
018 american craft aug/scpio
b e a s tu d io a r tis t. A l l m y p r o f e s -
s o r s w e r e m e n a n d a c a d e m ic s .
E x c e l le n t as th e ir in s tr u c tio n
w a s , I k n e w I n e e d e d s o m e t h in g
m o r e . I w a n t e d — n o , n e e d e d - a
m e n t o r s o I c o u ld o b s e r v e h o w
s h e s tr u c tu r e d h e r w o r k d a y ,
in t e r a c t e d w it h fr a m e r s a n d
fa b r ic a to r s , c o lle c t o r s a n d la n d -
lo r d s . T h e r e w e r e n o fo r m a l
in te r n s h ip s t h e n , b u t I ’ d h e a r d
th a t J u d y C h i c a g o w a s lo o k in g
f o r s o m e o n e lik e m e t o w o r k
o n t h e c e r a m ic s f o r
T h e D i n n e r
P a r t y .
W e d id n o t c a ll it m e n t o r -
in g . T h e r e w a s n o p e r s o n a l
a t t e n t io n a n d r a r e ly a k in d n o d ,
b u t I w a s o n a m is s io n a n d g o t
t h e v i e w o f a p r o fe s s io n a l a r tis t
in a c tio n I s o u g h t. I s till c a r r y
th a t in fo r m a tio n lik e an in v is ib le
o p e r a tin g m a n u a l.
O v e r t h e y e a r s I ’ v e h a d
m a n y a s s is t a n t s a n d im a g in e
t h e y le a r n e d fr o m m e s o m e
o f th e p r a c tic e s I le a r n e d fr o m
J u d y C h i c a g o a n d th o s e p a r t ic u -
la r t o m y w a y o f w o r k i n g . I t r y
t o b e e n c o u r a g in g a n d a v a ila b le
f o r a d v ic e t o y o u n g a r tis ts , s o
a w a r e a m I o f th a t m is s in g lin k
w h e n I w a s c o m in g u p .
— K a t h y E r t e m a n ,
c e r a m i s t ,
N e w T 'j r k , N T
M e n t o r s in m y life h a v e ta k e n
m a n y fo r m s : e n tr e p r e n e u r ia l
e n a b le r , g o a l s tr a t e g is t, c h a n g e
m a n a g e r , c a r e e r c o u n s e lo r
a n d m o r e . T h o s e t o w h o m I
a m in d e b t e d m a in ta in a n o p p o r -
t u n it y fo r e n g a g in g d ia lo g u e ,
g u id in g a n d o f f e r in g s u g g e s -
t io n s th a t in v o lv e e q u a l p a r ts
lis t e n in g , a s k in g q u e s tio n s a n d
r e m e m b e r in g s tr e n g th s t o e n -
c o u r a g e p e r s o n a l g r o w t h . F r o m
m y p a r e n ts a n d g r a n d f a t h e r to
c o lle a g u e s , m y fir s t m u s e u m
in te r n s h ip a d v is o r to p r o fe s s o r s
a c r o s s m y s tu d ie s , I s tr iv e to
m o d e l m y o w n a c tio n s o n th e ir s :
t o t e a c h h o w t o fis h r a th e r th a n
p r o v id in g th e fis h it s e lf.
— N a m i t a G u p t a W i g g e r s ,
c u r a t o r , M u s e u m o f C o n t e m p o r a r y
C r a f t , P o r t l a n d , o r
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Illustration Tamara Shopsin.
