According to commercial and artistic photographer Freeman Long, artistic mentorship is a lot like growing string beans.

“The plant is growing on its own, but the trellis is offering support in this–holding it up–and guidance. It’s sort of giving it a path in which to grow,” Long said.

This year, Long was a mentor for the Durham Art Guild’s Creative Mentorship Program. Since 2013, the Durham Art Guild has partnered with local education nonprofit Student U to provide a life-changing opportunity for Durham youth: a 20-week mentorship program under the guidance of local artists.

Over the course of the program, students learn not only the concrete skills of art in different media, but how to develop and follow through on an artistic vision. By the end of the program, students have the opportunity to display their artwork in a public exhibition at the Durham Art Guild Gallery.

Anthony Patterson, community program coordinator for the Durham Art Guild, is also an artist in his own right. He credits one of his  early mentors, Malcolm Goff, with putting him on the path to his creative career.

“He took me under his wing, gave me the extra art supplies, extra class time, to be able to go on and have a career in art,” Patterson said. “You know, I value that creative mentorship as a whole.”

He said he hopes the Creative Mentorship Program will provide that same opportunity for students in Durham’s public schools. 

“I know what it’s like to go through Durham Public Schools, and sometimes, you know, you might not get a chance to really express yourself in the ways that you really could because of the funding cuts and stuff,” Patterson said. “And right now, there are some art schools that don’t have a very functional art program, and so my goal is to be able to provide a lane for these students that are from underrepresented communities to be able to express themselves, just a creative outlet.”

The program closed  its mentor application deadline on Nov. 7. Despite the extension, interest was not as high as Patterson had hoped.

“We are trying our best to be able to find people to make it happen,” Patterson said. 

After mentors are selected, students will have the opportunity to apply to the program. The average program size is about four students per year, but Patterson says that with enough interest– and funding – he would like to expand the program to reach more students.

Last year’s exhibition, “Threads of Imagination,” featured a wide variety of materials and themes. Students explored charcoal, colored pencil, paper mâché, and even sewing and crochet.

Alexandria Clay, one of last year’s mentors, said her student took on a particularly involved project —hand-sewing a stuffed animal that represented the girl’s relationship with her family.

“A lot of what we focused on was just the skill of learning to sew things by hand, and sewing and stuffing to create, like a physical object, kind of like you would with a stuffed animal,” Clay said. “And along the way, we talked about, you know, conveying a message through your or understanding how different colors and materials can help to convey a message.” 

Clay’s favorite part of the program was teaching her student, Valerie, how to sew. The repetitive process of stitching allowed the two time to open up to one another and connect.

“It really reminds me of, like my mom teaching me how to sew things,” Clay said. “And like us sitting and chatting and sewing and so it was like a really nice, familiar moment to share with somebody else, just kind of like bonding over this really regular, mundane kind of act of creating something new.”

This process of connection and collaboration, according to Patterson, isn’t just important for young artists. In a world that often punishes creatives for pursuing their passions, he says that collaboration is essential. This is the purpose of the Durham Art Guild: to equip artists with the skills and support they need to make a living on art.

In addition to its Creative Mentorship Program, the Durham Art Guild provides a number of services to local artists. The guild hosts exhibitions, talks on how to navigate the business aspect of art, and even an Artist in Residence program which provides studio space and a stipend. 

The guild’s work, including the Creative Mentorship Program, is entirely funded by donations. To support the Durham Art Guild, see their website.

“Being an artist can feel like it’s a solo mission at times, but it’s not really. You have people that can support you that are out here, even if the people in your inner circle say otherwise,” Patterson said.

Edited by Mila Mascenik and Emi Maerz