As a part of The National Trust’s support of the project, they had pledged to arrange for me a mentor who could give me help and guidance throughout its duration. I was asked to produce names of artists who I would be interested in working with. One of the names on the (very) short list I gave was Stuart Whipps, who I am delighted to say accepted the offer to mentor me.
Stuart Whipps is a Birmingham based photographer who has exhibited in galleries such as Ikon and Flat Time House in London. One of his most recent projects, Reference Works, was exhibited in at Birmingham Library alongside the work of three of other artists.
I was invited by Stuart to visit his studio in Digbeth so that we could discuss what I wanted to get out of the experience and how I envisaged the process working. I have previously been to many of Stuart’s exhibitions, been aware of his work and have followed his career for many years, but had never before had the pleasure of meeting him, and meeting him was exactly that - a pleasure. I found Stuart to be very down to earth, and clearly very knowledgable both about topics both directly related to his practice and those outside of it. I found his studio a pleasure to be in - furnished with tables and chairs recovered from Birmingham’s old library, passed on to him during his time working there as a part of his project - you can see the influence of his practice on in his space, and can see how the environment must inspire him while producing his work. Stuart and I sketched out a blueprint of how the sessions will unfold; one which will include discussion, critique and advice; aid with accessing equipment, and making contacts in the galleries that I aspire to exhibit in.
Having spoken to many graduates, both those who have turned their degrees into careers in the arts and those who haven’t, have all told me the same thing; that leaving university was hard, and that they initially struggled to find direction and define their practice without the support network that they had become accustomed to. In Stuart, I will have a mentor who will guide me through this period and will be someone with whom I can discuss and develop my ideas. The aim of art is to provoke response and discussion and, I find, this is the best starting point for producing work also, so am very glad to again have someone that I can bounce my ideas off in order to help them evolve into fully realised concepts. Stuart becomes another in the line of inspirational artists who I am lucky to have the opportunity to work with and learn from, and I can’t wait to get started with it.
The Heath Town to Croome project, like the Croome Redefined Project, is all about mentoring and developing new talent. As I pass on skills to the participants of the project, I will be developing my skills and as I mentor, I will be mentored also. It’s this cascade of knowledge that I hope will create new artists and see the potential of individuals to become realised.
