In this issue of 716 craft·design we draw specific attention to mentorships and their central role for craft·design. You will read about a range of programs from across the country including Western Australia, South Australia and the ACT. You will find new solutions to engaging with the creative sector. If you have recently graduated from university, or are about to complete your studies, you will find this issue a helpful resource with thought provoking examples.

Mentorships are an established way for makers to gain practical skills to develop their practice. It is learning by example while working with someone who has acquired a high level of expertise in their field. On a personal level, these links are very rewarding and establish life long networks within the professional craft and design sector. For the industry, it ensures a continuum of knowledge and skills that elaborate on academic training in a practical sense.

Mentorships provide a vital career pathway for the craft·design sector. There is no singular road to a sustainable practice. The career is solitary and the choices and outcomes are particular to each individual. However, there are ways to assist individuals become significant participants in the cultural framework. Mentorships and internships provide such frameworks. Organisations like the JamFactory in Adelaide have successfully demonstrated the achievements of this engagement through their career development schemes in the areas of ceramics, jewellery design, glass making and furniture design. FORM in Western Australia is about to launch the Midland Atelier, a creative industries precinct developed with the Midland Redevelopment Authority. This centre will be a focus for mentoring creatives in the area of furniture, jewellery and digital design. Read more about it in Elisha Butler's article.

Craft Australia has reported on the vitality of this program in previous publications of 716 craft·design. We have featured the benefits of mentorships through the online discussions of the Youth@craft·design national forum held in 2006. Here we asked the hard questions facing emerging makers. How do I get started? How do I navigate my way to a successful career? How do I become involved in a mentorship program? How do I identify a suitable mentor? How about online resources? And we invited artists to blog their suggestions to these questions.

Mentorships are as diverse as there are artists wanting to undertake them. They are a vital professional development component in the career trajectory of the craft·design artist. Over the past ten years there has been a specific allocation of resources from the Australia Council for the Arts for mentorships that have been devolved through the network of Australian Craft and Design Centres. This support has seen a resurgence of interest in the process of mentoring.

Significantly the Rudd Government has understood the relevance of mentoring and has continued its financial commitment in this field with relevant funds to the Australia Council for the Arts. As a sector we applaud this outcome and look forward to support for cross sector mentoring programs that link artists with industry and bring new vitality to the Australian design and manufacturing sector.

Catrina Vignando
General Manager
Craft Australia
August, 2008