Mentoring Artists for Women's Art
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Mentoring Artists for Women's Art (MAWA) is a feminist
visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile art ...
education center based in
Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
. Created in 1984, this
non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
encourages and supports the intellectual and creative development of women in the visual arts by providing an ongoing forum for education and critical dialogue. Monthly MAWA programming includes lectures, artist talks, skills-based workshops, professional practices workshops, critical reading groups, studio visits, an artist-mothers group, screenings and field trips. Visiting artists and curators have included
Lucy Lippard Lucy Rowland Lippard (born April 14, 1937) is an American writer, art critic, activist, and curator. Lippard was among the first writers to argue for the " dematerialization" at work in conceptual art and was an early champion of feminist art. S ...
(Albuquerque, New Mexico), Deborah Kelly (Sydney, Australia), Sara Riel (Reykjavik, Iceland), Rosalie Favell (Ottawa),
Allyson Mitchell Allyson Mitchell is a Toronto-based maximalist artist, working predominantly in sculpture, installation and film. Her practice melds feminism and pop culture to trouble contemporary representations of women, sexuality and the body largely through ...
(Toronto), Yolanda Paulsen (Mexico City) and
Huma Mulji Huma Mulji (born 1970 in Karachi) is a Pakistani contemporary artist. Her works are in the collections of the Saatchi Gallery, London and the Asia Society Museum. She received the Abraaj Capital Art Prize in 2013. Life Huma Mulji was born in ...
(Lahore, Pakistan). MAWA provides a platform for critical writing as well, by commissioning text that appears in their newsletter and on their website. Although MAWA's mentorship programs are for women-identifying artists, recognizing historical and present-day inequalities, the majority of their programs are open to people of all genders, and are offered at low or no cost. MAWA has over 300 paid members, of whom approximately 80% reside in
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...
. An additional 10% are located throughout Manitoba and an additional 10% throughout the rest of Canada. Well over 350
volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
contribute to MAWA each year.


History

MAWA was founded as the Manitoba Artists for Women's Art. It was initiated by School of Art professor Diane Whitehouse, who was also on the Board of Plug In Gallery. She gathered together a working group including
Sheila Butler Sheila Butler (born 1938) is an American-Canadian visual artist and retired professor, now based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She is a founding member of Mentoring Artists for Women's Art in Winnipeg, Manitoba and the Sanavik Inuit Cooperative ...
, fine art students and others. They collaborated to create an organisation that addresses gender inequality in the visual arts by giving opportunities to women. It was created in response to the findings of a research committee based at Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art.


Mentorship

MAWA works to sustain art in the community through mentorship programs. Senior women artists share their experience and expertise with developing women artists in a peer-support learning environment that empowers them to build their studio and/or curatorial practices. Through mentorship, MAWA has created a vibrant, skilled community, serving women artists in all phases of their careers.


Foundation Mentorship Program

The Foundation Mentorship Program has been MAWA’s core activity since 1985. It is a year-long program. It is designed to help women in the visual arts develop skills and define their decision-making philosophies, and to provide access to the information, resources and support they need to realize their artistic goals. In addition to a one-on-one relationship with a mentor, the program provides peer support for the mentees through group mentorship meetings.


Mentors and Mentees

Mentors have included
Sheila Butler Sheila Butler (born 1938) is an American-Canadian visual artist and retired professor, now based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She is a founding member of Mentoring Artists for Women's Art in Winnipeg, Manitoba and the Sanavik Inuit Cooperative ...
, Aganetha Dyck,
Diana Thorneycroft Diana Thorneycroft (born 1956 in Claresholm, Alberta) is a Canadian artist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, whose work has exhibited nationally and internationally. She works primarily in photography, drawing, and sculpture/ installation and makes ph ...
,
Eleanor Bond Eleanor Bond (born 25 March 1948) is a Canadian multimedia artist and art educator who is best known for reworking the Canadian landscape tradition using a new ecological awareness. Early life Eleanor Bond was born in Winnipeg to pharmacist H ...
, Bev Pike, Grace Nickel, Sigrid Dahle, Shawna Dempsey, KC Adams, and many more. Former mentees have included Reva Stone,
Laura Letinsky Laura L. Letinsky (born 1962) is an artist and a professor in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Chicago. She is currently based in Chicago, Illinois where she lives and works. Letinsky’s works contend with what and how a phot ...
, Roewan Crowe and
Dominique Rey Dominique Marie Jean Rey (born 21 September 1952) is the Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon in the province of Marseille in southern France. He is a member of the Emmanuel Community, and he is considered one of the more conservative French bishops. He als ...
among others.


Exhibitions

''Grrls, Chicks, Sisters & Squaws: Les citoyennes du cyberspace'' (2006). Curated by Skawennati Tricia Fragnito. ''Resilience'' (2018). Curated by Lee-Ann Martin.


Publications

* ''Culture of Community'' (2004) * ''Technologies of Intuition'' (2006) * ''Desire Change: Contemporary Feminist Art in Canada'' (2017)


References

{{Reflist


External links


Official websiteWhy Women?
Canadian artist groups and collectives Artist-run centres Women in Manitoba 1984 establishments in Manitoba 1984 in art