A Case Study into The Development of the VOICE Project Mentorship Programme for Pilot Artists

This paper, A Case Study into the Development of the VOICE Project Mentorship Programme for Pilot Artists, was developed within the Horizon Europe-funded VOICE project (Valorising Artist-Led Innovation through Citizen Engagement). Authored by Dr Victoria Geaney and Prof. Camille Baker (Royal College of Art), the paper examines the development, implementation and initial evaluation of the VOICE Mentorship Programme, designed to support artists working at the intersection of community engagement, technology and environmental sustainability. Drawing on relevant academic literature and feedback from the project's pilot artists, the paper explores three complementary mentoring approaches: Lead Mentoring, Permacultural Resilience (pCr) Mentoring and Expert Mentoring. It presents findings from the pilot phase, examining artists' experiences of mentorship, the effectiveness of mentoring tools and approaches, and the challenges encountered in supporting interdisciplinary, community-based artistic interventions. The findings highlight the value of supportive, reflective and collaborative mentoring relationships, while identifying opportunities to strengthen peer learning, knowledge exchange and tailored support for artists. The paper offers practical insights and recommendations to inform the development of future mentorship programmes supporting artist-led innovation and eco-social practices. Publication status: This document is a preprint of a manuscript submitted for publication. It has not yet been accepted or formally published and may be subject to revisions following peer review. The preprint is made available to support open access to research findings developed within the VOICE project (Grant Agreement No. 101135803).