Arts Ottawa Mentorship Program
Is your artistic practice or arts career ready for the next step? Whether you’re an artist, administrator, or cultural worker, the Arts Ottawa Mentorship Program (AOMP) provides guidance, support, and connections to help you grow.
Photo: Deena Alsaweer
This year, AOMP will run two focused mentorship cohorts:
Social Impact Measurement and Evaluation (onboarding late 2025)
Creative Spaces Mentorship (onboarding early 2026)
Each cohort includes tailored mentorship (either through mentor-hubs or 1-on-1 support), workshops, and resources designed to support the cohort’s theme and mentee-driven goals. More about each Cohort below.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
Apply as a Mentee
Mentees work with experienced professionals to grow their practice or advance their career. Benefits include:
$500 in stipends and financial support for costs associated with mentorship activities
Free access to workshops and resources, including the AOMP online bulletin board and forum.
Engagement with a diverse cohort of peers for learning and networking
Apply as a Mentor
Experienced artists, administrators, and arts leaders can guide emerging professionals. Benefits include:
Contributing to the growth of the next generation of arts professionals
$500 in financial compensation for participation
Free access to workshops and resources, including the AOMP online bulletin board and forum.
Connection with a diverse cohort of participants for sharing and networking
MENTORSHIP COHORTS
Cohort 1: Social Impact Measurement and Evaluation (onboarding late 2025)
Participants at all career stages engage in reciprocal learning around social impact evaluation, community engagement, and storytelling practices across disciplines.
Supported by: Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing, Toronto Arts Council, Robin Sokoloski (Mass Culture), Natasha Qureshi (SYMPL Solutions).
Goals & Outcomes:
Develop skills to process, articulate, and report qualitative and quantitative data
Build confidence in tracking and implementing impact indicators
Address roadblocks like HR capacity or skill gaps in evaluation
Leverage impact evaluation skills for fundraising and advocacy
Engage with national and regional networks, aligning work with other impact-indexes, like the United Nation’s 16 Sustainable Development Goals
Timeline:
October 14: Program launch at Ottawa Art Gallery
November: Application assessments
December: Notifications and onboarding
January 2026: Mentorships begin
Cohort 2: Creative Spaces Mentorship (onboarding early 2026)
Focused on developing, managing, or revitalizing creative spaces, this cohort explores social-purpose real estate principles, cultural space management, and community readiness.
Supported by: Arts Build Ontario, Carleton University’s CIMS Lab, and Ottawa-based arts and culture leaders.
Goals & Outcomes:
Understand diverse cultural space management models
Learn sectoral trends in cultural space development and land adaptation
Gain confidence in civic engagement, land-use planning, and downtown revitalization projects
Contribute to open-source data and geo-spatial mapping projects
Collaborate with Cohort 1 on impact evaluation frameworks for cultural spaces
Timeline:
October: "Get.Together”/Shared Ground Learning Lab event
October–December: Promotion and communications for mentorship activities
Early 2026: Mentee applications open
February–March: Assessment and integration into Shared Ground
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Mentorship participant selection is based on our evaluation rubric. Successful applicants demonstrate:
Clear and achievable goals
Goals align with mentee’s professional or artistic trajectory or career
Demonstrate impact on Ottawa-region arts and culture community
OUR FUNDERS AND PARTNERS
