A new mentor program at the San Diego Fine Art Society (SDFAS) is giving local artists the professional tools, knowledge and guidance to thrive...
by Matt Liebowitz
In the SDFAS Artist Mentor program, a group of dedicated San Diego artists meet weekly with Yoram Gill, who brings to his role as mentor more than 35 years of experience in the art world, as both an artist and gallery owner.
The year-long program began in June, and is now moving into its second phase, during which the group of seven mentees take Gil's advice, displaying their work in galleries and building connections in the business.
Live Fit Magazine publisher and former KGTV journalist Phoebe Chongchua was on hand to film the first six months of the program. She followed the seven mentees: Fred Briscoe, Jeff Steorts, John McDavid, Ansley Pye, Rae Barney, Richard Hawk, and Sinclair Stratton, documenting their strides and struggles.
The work of two of the mentees, Fred Briscoe, and Rae Barney, is currently on display as part of the "Sculpture in the Garden" exhibit at Encinitas' San Diego Botanic Garden (formerly Quail Botanical Gardens).
Chongchua said the mentoring program is an individual resource, giving artists who already have great natural talent the skills to navigate the business side of the art world.
Often, art that ends up in galleries "isn't necessarily the best art, but has good salespeople behind it," said Chongchua. "Artists have a tough walk in life, they are passionate and dedicated to their work, but don't always have the best business skills."
The mentoring program provides artists with tips and methods about how to best promote themselves and gain a wider audience, Chongchua said.
April game, SDFAS executive director, said the Artist Mentor program offered at SDFAS doesn't exist anywhere else in the U.S. Supplementing the personal passions of the artists with professional mentoring skills creates a "pretty awesome fusion," she said.
"It's been nothing shor of 'life transforming' for the artists involved," she said.
"There's cussing and tears--they're getting into some personal stuff," Game continued. "It's become so much more than we thought when we embarked on it. We're making big strides. It's fascinating."
In the beginning of November, a new crop of artists embarked on the SDFAS Artist Mentor program.
For more information on San Diego Fine Art Society, visit www.sdfas.org, or call (858) 205-4354.
A reception for "Sculpture in the Garden" will be held Sunday, Nov. 15, from 3 - 5 p.m. at San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas. Visit www.sdbgarden.org or more information.
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