STARTING POINT — All artists are given a one hour evaluation with a professional artist and creative specialist to determine if they are ready to move on. We recommend a path for them.
TURNING POINT – Artists who are not quite ready to go on to a professional status are given a 10–15 hour mentorship with a professional artist and business workshops to help guide them to the next level of their training.
NOLAN COPE, an aspiring writer, is 13 and has just completed a Turning Point mentorship with JAMES KAHN. Nolan has a head start on his novel. An outline of all the chapters and the first 6 are written
THE MENTORSHIP – Pairing emerging artists with a professional mentor in the community for up to 100 hours of guidance. In one of our mentorships, photographer Macduff Everton (National Geographic, Conde Nast, and recently published “The Book of Santa Barbara”) mentored Elite Henenson, taking her on photo shoots, giving her assignments, and guiding and encouraging her. Elite taught a workshop to 8–10 year olds at Santa Barbara Charter School assisting them in photographing their friends and a brief tutorial in Photoshop. The quality of her work has soared.
MacDuff Everton mentors Elite Henenson in photography
PEER TO PEER – Skilled high school students teach art techniques to underserved younger students in exchange for Community Service Hours. 13 year old Mitzy wrote us a letter asking us to find her a ‘tutor’ because her parents could not afford flute lessons. We matched her with Kelsey, who plays flute with Dos Pueblos Orchestra and Youth Symphony. They now meet on a weekly basis working on technique and music theory. In a happy conclusion, Mitzy has been invited to play a duet with Kelsey at her year-end recital in June with her teacher. We are developing this program for summer to facilitate more success stories like Mitzy and Kelsey.
Mitzy takes a flute lesson from Kelsey
