 After this second cohort, what direction do you see IAMP heading in the coming year?
Smitha: I see that IAMP is creating an impact in the community and in the lives of the mentees both personally and professionally. IAMP mentees are getting opportunities in the arts sector quicker, are building connections in the arts world, and are able to navigate through the system here far better than a newcomer immigrant arts professional/cultural worker who hasn’t had that opportunity. The need for the IAMP is visible from the number of applications we receive. With better support from the community and stakeholders, we would be happy to see IAMP opening for more applicants and making bigger changes! How does it feel to see the second cohort of IAMP coming to a close on December 9th, 2022? Smitha: I am very excited and happy for the mentees for their new beginning after the program! Every mentee is working on a project that we would see coming to reality in the upcoming days. It would range from exhibitions, performances, production, curation, and other new initiatives. Really looking forward to it! What can people expect from the IAMP celebration event on December 9th, 2022? (Click here to RSVP) Smitha: We are happy to invite the arts community to the IAMP celebration event of the 2nd cohort. Please feel free to use the Eventbrite link to RSVP. People can witness the mentees sharing their learnings from IAMP and talking about their projects and how IAMP has impacted their lives professionally. It will also be a great opportunity to meet a lot of people from various arts, cultural and immigrant-serving organizations- in a way, a big networking event itself! When is the next IAMP coming up and what should Calgary expect? Smitha: The next IAMP is expected to start in June 2023 and the application is expected to be out by March 2023. If you are a newcomer immigrant (with less than 7 years in Canada) Arts Professional or have a passion for arts & culture and want to see yourself in an Arts career, please keep an eye on our website or follow us on social media and apply for the next IAMP when the application opens. How do you see the cohort growing in the community? Smitha: Our mentees are finding resources and information through the IAMP and are able to learn what is important to grow in the community. All of our 1st cohort mentees are establishing themselves in the arts world here and are creating identities for themselves. They are getting opportunities through exhibitions, and chances to perform and collaborate. For most of them, their first opportunity came after IAMP. 2 of our mentees and 1 of our mentors won awards for their work in arts. Even in the current cohort, mentees are really enthusiastic about the upcoming opportunity that they will be receiving after completion of IAMP through our partners. I am glad all the mentees are interested in the community and giving back too. They are all growing and finding their spaces, which makes me proud! What are you asking from the arts community in Calgary? Smitha: I want to give a big shout-out to all the mentees and the arts organizations that would come forward to create opportunities/offer opportunities to the 10 new arts professionals that we present at the conclusion of the IAMP. I welcome the Arts Community in Calgary to come and join the event to support IAMP and the mentees. Comments are closed.
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