The book Perspectives on Mentorship – Reinventing Mentoring in Arts and Creative Industries Management offers a holistic view with multiple perspectives to the topic of mentorship in arts and cultural context. It can be used as a course book for mentorship programmes, providing further knowledge for anyone working in mentorship or planning to build a mentorship programme in the context of arts management education within art or cultural institutions.
It provides a unique exploration of this subject by presenting different perspectives, raising thought provoking questions, and examining ways to manage a mentoring programme. It is important to remember that mentoring does not happen by itself, and that it requires management and intervention in order to be sustainable. University students interested in arts management will find the book invaluable in obtaining a better understanding of how mentoring could be approached and help them in the development of their professional identity. It does not present one universal truth or method, but instead is about sharing experiences.
From the academic perspective, the book encourages readers to approach mentoring with an open mind, offering tools to reflect on the process of building programmes around the core of mentoring – a dynamic human relationship which affects the identity of both parties – and then to build on the different layers around that foundation.
The book seeks to provide insights into the different layers that are created during the mentoring process. It poses a variety of questions that can apply to specific programmes and helps readers understand how to effectively manage and sustain mentorship relationships.