Bisa Butler, Marilyn Minter, Jill Magid, and 14 Other Women Artists on the Mentors Who Shaped Them
For as long as there have been artists, there have been mentors who have helped those artists find their way by offering a gentle nudge, an honest critique, or simply a strong example. These relationships are especially vital for artists who operate outside of conventional systems of power. Generation after generation, women have offered one another behind-the-scenes, alternative education. These bonds go on to shape art and art history in ways that may never be fully understood by the public.
In an effort to offer a clearer picture of these formative ties, CULTURED asked 16 female artists to share the story of a mentor or mentee who challenged and shaped them. Some have worked together for years; others have met only on Zoom. Sometimes, the role of mentor and mentee has blurred, or even switched, over the course of the relationship. In all cases, the artists have been indelibly altered by the support and fellowship of one another.
