Lean In Mentor Program

About the mentorship:

The Lean In Mentor Program is a pilot initiative developed in conjunction with the 2026 exhibition Lean In, featuring three renowned women artists: Laura Deakin, Dr Marian Hosking and Dr Blanche Tilden.

These highly respected practitioners bring decades of experience, specialist knowledge and professional insight to their respective fields. Through this mentoring program, they seek to support the next generation of makers by sharing knowledge, encouraging professional growth and fostering meaningful connections across the craft sector. Equally important is the idea of reverse mentoring, where the exchange is not top down, but an opportunity for knowledge to flow freely.

Extending the sense of generosity intrinsic to Lean In, Laura, Marian and Blanche invite women and non-binary makers from any field of practice to apply for three mentorships. The mentors will volunteer their time, motivated by a belief in the value of intergenerational knowledge-sharing and professional development.

The program also serves as a call to action, demonstrating the importance of informal mentoring pathways and encouraging future philanthropic and government investment in knowledge-sharing initiatives that exist outside formal education programs.

Eligibility:

Selected mentees must be;

• A current Craft member
• An emerging maker – in their first 10 years of practice
• A maker working in any craft discipline. The mentorship is not limited to jewellery
• A practitioner seeking professional and creative development through mentorship
• Participants must be women and/or non-binary

Key selection criteria:

• Quality and commitment of artistic practice
• Professional development goals
• Alignment between applicant interests and mentor expertise
• Potential impact of the mentorship on the applicant's practice
• Applicant’s readiness to engage fully in the program

Placement details:

• Three mentorship placements will be offered for three individual mentees
• Each mentor will be paired with one selected mentee
• Two mentorship placements will be for Melbourne or Victorian-based mentees, and one placement will be for a mentee based elsewhere in Australia (conducted online)
• A $500 bursary will be available for each mentee

Timeline:

The mentorship will run for approximately 12-15 months;

October 2026

• Program launches and applications open

Early 2027

• Applications close Monday 1 February 2027, 10:00am (AEDT)
• Assessment and selection process undertaken

Early to mid 2027

• Mentorships announced and commence

2027 - 2028

• Mentoring meetings and group sessions take place
• Five individual mentor–mentee meetings
• One group session involving all mentors and mentees
• Other sessions to be scheduled as required by each pairing

Late 2028

• Presentation and sharing of program outcomes to coincide with Radiant Pavilion.

Applications for the Lean In Mentor Program are now open until Monday 1 February 2027, 10:00am (AEDT).
Applicants will be advised of the outcome of their proposals in Late February 2027.