Mentorship Program

One-to-One Artist Mentorship & Portfolio Development
 

Experience:

A personalised mentorship program for artists who want dedicated time, guidance, and structure to develop their artistic practice and build a strong body of work.

Taking place at an art residency in NDSM, Amsterdam’s creative and artistic district, the program combines studio practice with one-to-one mentorship, readings, research, field trips, and project development. It is designed for artists preparing for exhibitions, art school applications, art prizes, residencies, or simply looking to take their practice to the next level.

Rather than following a fixed curriculum, the mentorship is shaped around your interests, questions, experience, and artistic goals.
 

Approach:

The program is built around an ongoing conversation between making, researching, reflecting, and developing.

You’ll work closely with an experienced artist-educator who will support you throughout the process—from developing an initial idea to building a focused project or body of work. Sessions combine practical studio work with discussions, readings, references, and critical feedback.
 

You’ll be encouraged to look beyond the studio through selected exhibitions, galleries, museums, artist studios, and other cultural spaces. These experiences become part of your research and can help open up new ideas and directions for your work. The aim is not to teach you a particular style, but to help you become more confident in making artistic decisions and developing a practice that feels genuinely your own.
 

Structure:
 

• Part 1: Research & Finding Direction

Begin by looking at your existing work, interests, influences, and questions. Together, we’ll identify possible themes and directions for your practice. You’ll receive selected readings, artists, exhibitions, and other references to expand your research and help you position your ideas within a wider artistic context.
 

• Part 2: Project Development

Turn your research into a concrete artistic project. Develop a concept, experiment with different approaches, and begin producing a connected body of work. You’ll receive ongoing feedback and practical guidance while having the freedom to test ideas, change direction, and discover unexpected possibilities.
 

• Part 3: Field Trips & Artistic Research

Step outside the studio and engage with the wider art world through field trips to exhibitions, museums, galleries, artist studios, and other relevant places in Amsterdam. These visits become an active part of the mentorship, giving you opportunities to observe other practices, discuss ideas, gather references, and connect what you see with your own work.

​

• Part 4: Building & Refining Your Project

Develop your work into a stronger and more coherent body of work. We’ll look at how individual pieces relate to the larger project, identify what is working, and refine the direction where needed.You’ll receive individual feedback on both the work itself and the development of your overall artistic practice.

​

• Part 5: Portfolio & Next Steps

Bring the project together and consider how it can move into the next stage—whether that means an exhibition, art school application, residency, art prize, or further independent development. Together, we’ll review your work, identify opportunities, and discuss practical next steps for continuing your practice beyond the mentorship.

​

What is included?
 

• One-to-one mentorship with an experienced artist-educator

• Private sessions at an art residency in NDSM, Amsterdam

• Personalised project development

• Individual artistic guidance and feedback

• Studio-based making and experimentation

• Selected readings and artistic references

• Art history and contemporary art discussions

• Creative assignments and research tasks

• Curated field trips to exhibitions, galleries, museums, and cultural spaces

• Support in developing an original body of work

• Portfolio development for exhibitions, art schools, prizes, and residencies

• Free learning modules and e-books

• Priority access to our annual exhibition

• Access to studio storage

• Painting materials and studio equipment

• Drinks: tea & coffee
   

Give your practice the time and attention it deserves.This is more than a series of art classes. It’s an opportunity to step into your practice, follow your questions, look at art beyond the studio, and develop a project with ongoing support. Read, visit, make, discuss, experiment and gradually build work that has somewhere to go.