March 20, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
Photograph by Rolex/Fred Cattroll
The writer Toni Morrison, the painter David Hockney, and the filmmaker Stephen Frears are all seasoned masters of their crafts. But what about the writer Julia Leigh, the painter Matthais Weischer, or the filmmaker Josué Méndez?
The three emerging artists are still striving for acclaim, but they are getting plenty of help in their pursuit of greatness from those artistic masters.
Since 2002, the Swiss watchmaker Rolex has provided more than $1.7-million to its Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, which pairs some of the most notable names in dance, literature, music, film, visual arts, and theater with talented newcomers for a yearlong partnership of learning, sharing, and collaboration. Seventeen such pairings involving artists from more than a dozen different countries have been formed, and six more will be announced later this year.
Mentors receive a $50,000 honorarium for agreeing to spend a minimum of six weeks out of the year working with a younger counterpart. Protégés, who are invited to apply for the program by an international artistic advisory panel, are awarded $25,000 when they start the program and $25,000 when their mentorship ends to help them create a work or stage a performance highlighting what they’ve learned.
Here, the violist David Carpenter receives guidance from his mentor, the violinist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman.
“My mentorship with Pinchas Zukerman has been a life-changing event.” Mr. Carpenter says. “Maestro Zukerman has helped me embrace the human element of music making.”
