Arts Mentoring for Released Prisoners: Our Mentors

Koestler’s Arts Mentors are experienced and enthusiastic arts practitioners who come from a wide range of arts fields. They work one-to-one with ex-offenders, offering 10 mentoring sessions over 12-months. We give our mentors full training and support, but it is our mentor's energy, arts expertise and organisational skills that are helping us find out if the arts make a real difference in the rehabilitation of offenders.

So far we have trained 48 arts mentors who are, between them, able to provide mentoring in the following art forms.

  • Card Design
  • Craft
  • Drawing
  • Graphic design
  • Magazine design
  • Murals
  • Music
  • Oil, tempera & acrylic painting
  • Pastels
  • Poetry
  • Photography
  • Playwriting for radio
  • Playwriting for stage
  • Playwriting for television
  • Prose (fiction & non-fiction)
  • Sculpture
  • Soft Furnishings
  • Textile art
  • Watercolour/gauche painting


We run a rolling recruitment process for mentors, which means we are able to accept applications at any time.

Our next training dates will take place in November 2010. To be considered for this round of training, please send us your application before Monday 4th October 2010. Interviews with shortlisted candidates will take place on Monday 11th October or Wednesday 20th October 2010.

If you would like to be considered for this next round of recruitment please read through the supporting information and fill out the application form.

Application Form (PDF)
Application Form (Word Doc)
Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
Role Description (PDF)
Why Prison Art (PDF)

We are particularly looking for Arts Mentors in the following geographical areas:

  • Yorkshire & Humberside
  • South West England
  • West Midlands
  • London

 

Thug Life
Patrick John Craggs
Lord Ramsbotham Outstanding Award for Oil/Acrylic Painting 2008
Mentee on Koestler Arts Mentoring Project

Gray Eagle Buzzard
Paul Cummings
Outstanding Award for Pastels 2007
Mentee on Koestler Arts Mentoring Project