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DTP Onsite Mentorship
Draw to Perform Mentorship Program
Opportunity for Artists
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Brighton/Lewes, East Sussex, UK
The Draw to Perform mentorship program for Drawing Performance practice.
What does the program offer?
DTP is a unique program that offers professional artists and art students an opportunity for personally tailored mentorship in the art of drawing performance. The program is guided and mentored by Ram Samocha, a nationally and internationally acclaimed drawing performance artist and the founder of Draw to perform.
What is Drawing Performance?
Drawing performance is a multidisciplinary form of art, which focuses on the use of drawing as a performative tool, and on sharing the creative process with the audience via live action. Using a wide range of methods of artistic expression (i.e. mark making, dance, light & sound) the artists creates a dialogue with the viewer while exploring how drawing can be used as a way to communicate and to collaborate.
About Ram Samocha and Draw to Perform:
Ram Samocha is an artist, an independent curator and the founder and director of Draw to Perform. In his work, Samocha combines between drawing, photography, video, installation, sound and performance art.
The passion for drawing and performance lead Samocha to establish Draw to Perform, an art company founded to promote the discipline of drawing performance in the UK and worldwide. Draw to Perform became a leading hub in the international scene of drawing performance, hosting, supporting and collaborating with leading artists in this discipline. Festivals and symposiums organized by DTP are unique in their dedication to celebrating this art form, providing it with a platform, a stage and an audience.
Amongst the various activities of the company are five international symposiums about drawing performance which host and showcase over a hundred of emerging and established artists, organized various art events, workshops and lectures. Amongst the many institutions with whom DTP have collaborated in the past are leading establishments such as Goldsmiths, OCAD U and Crawford College of Art and Design. Educational programs of the company include workshops to artists and for the general public, international residencies for artists and designers, and the 1-ON-1 mentorship.
How is the program constructed?
The program is a weeklong residency, designed for a single artist. It includes daily sessions, creative exercises, artistic brainstorming and personalized coaching with Ram Samocha. It will start with investigation of the artist’s current body of work and identification of motifs and elements, which can be translated and expanded into live action. By exploring different methods of performance (on camera and video, to a live or online audience or as a personal undocumented process of exploration) the artist will work on a new creation demonstrating their own artistic DNA, which is transformed into action. The artist will be given an opportunity to showcase their work in live streaming within the different platforms of DTP.
Who would benefit from the program?
There is a wide range of artists, designers, and other creative people who could benefit from exposure and training in drawing performance.
These include traditional fine art artists who focus on painting and drawing. These artists will benefit the creation of a live dialog with their viewer, which helps to enrich, augment and challenge the creative process.
On the other side are performance artists (dancers, actors, musicians) who wish to expand their range of expression. For these artists, the focus would be on finding how mark making, and the creation of a visual image can add an additional layer to their creation. These artists gain from expanding their creative toolbox with an additional powerful mode of expression.
The mentorship is also suited to individuals who are not necessarily from the artistic world but who wish to use performative and expressive art as part of holistic communication, therapy or as a meditative tool.
What is the difference between the DTP mentorship and the D2P residency?
The DTP program is designed for an individual wish to focus on personal internal investigation. From a practical term, the DTP program is more attainable within the limitations of the pandemic. The strength of the DTP mentorship is the ability to tailor the program to the very specific needs of the apprentice.
The what and the where:
The sessions will take place mostly in the studio but would also include optimal gallery tours or other relevant artistic experiences, and are subject to any restriction dictated by the pandemic.
The mentorship program is in Brighton or Lewes, the beautiful county town of East Sussex, which is a town with ancient roots well known for its artistic creativity and a long-standing orientation towards art and craft.
When:
The guest artist will need to suggest in the application the suitable dates for this one-week program.
What’s included?
– Shared accommodation (privet room) in Brighton/Lewes, East Sussex
– Privet studio space for seven days
– Basic drawing materials and tools
– Daily one-on-one tutorials meetings with artist and curator Ram Samocha
– Meetings and discussions with guest artists
– Talks and lectures about drawing and performance art
– Optional guided tour of London’s art museums and galleries
– Access to a wide range of publications and books about drawing and performance
– Opportunity to share and showcase work-in-progress
– Intensive promotion of your work via the Draw to Perform social media
– Live online screening of a drawing performance at the Draw to Perform Facebook page and YouTub channel
– Promotion of your work via some other social media
Participation Fee & Financial Assistance:
The total program cost for 7 days of residency and mentorship is £1,500.
To help fund your stay at the Draw to Perform program, view a compiled list of national and international opportunities here.
Artist statement:
120 word text that outlines your artistic practice. Describe why you wish to attend this program, what you hope to do and learn, and what impact it could have on your practice.
CV:
One A4 page describing selected relevant experience such as academic, exhibitions, and performances (if available).
Images:
Please attach 4 images from your past work.
Website:
Please attach a link to your website and other online social media.
Contact:
Email address, mobile number, and mail address
drawtoperform@icloud.com (with the title ‘Your name_DTP mentorship program’ in the subject line).
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“Thank you firstly for choosing me to be a part of DTP. You might not know but this journey is very important to me and I came at a time that was both significant and urgent. I can safely say that DTP has changed my life and given me direction. The programme is so generous and dynamic, and that spirt, I am sure, came from you Ram.
Thank you for staying hopeful and keeping this going, I hope you know how much of a difference you are making both through your art and the programme. You still light up in the face of good art and that childlike wonder is so rare for experienced practitioners. I hope one day to repay DTP and give back to it for it has given me so much.
This time here like you predicted, has so quickly come to a close, and I am so sad, but I will keep this time so close to my heart. Thank you so much”.
Zoea Tania Chen, (Singapore), Nov 2019
“Working with Ram was so helpful, he is extremely knowledgable about the field and opened my eyes to a huge range of practice. I found the workshops and visits really helpful in inspiring my production. Having dedicated space for a week to focus and make work in the beautiful surroundings of Brighton was a real privilege. The residency has raised lots of avenues for me to now explore further in my studio at home.”
Elizabeth Tomos, (Northampton, UK) July 2021
“In December I undertook Ram Samocha’s weeklong mentorship residency in Brighton. I was very pleased with the enthusiasm and support that I received from Ram during the residency. Ram provided and arranged the accommodation, studio space minutes away from the seafront and tons of advice for developing my project. I spent time every day in the studio, reading books lent for the project and experimenting with different strategies, culminating in a couple of small public performances at the end of the residency. What I appreciated the most about the mentorship was the time spent developing work with Ram and to receive immediate feedback on work from someone with such a comprehensive knowledge of Drawing Performance”.
Gerald Curtis (London, UK) Jan 2022
For past DTP activities please visit us on Facebook or Instagram
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Draw to Perform is a member of the most prestigious networks of international Artists Residencies worldwide
Draw to Perform 