Announcing Mentors for the 2026 QUEER|ART|MENTORSHIP Program Cycle

Press release

Queer|Art is pleased to announce the new Mentors for the 2026 Queer|Art|Mentorship (QAM) program cycle. The Mentorship program is the cornerstone of Queer|Art’s work, providing a platform of support for LGBTQ+ artists focused on creative issues and long-term sustainability of artistic practice. Now in its 15th year, the organization’s celebrated year-long creative and professional development program supports both remote and in-person participation between early-career and established LGBTQ+ artists from across the country. In doing so, Queer|Art|Mentorship bridges professional and social thresholds that often isolate artists by generation, discipline, and region. The 2026 Mentors are:

Desiree Akhavan (Film)
Ela Troyano (Film)
Sam Feder (Film)
Tommy Pico (Literature)
Kate Bornstein (Literature)
Hugh Ryan (Literature)
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Performance)
Julie Tolentino (Performance)
Carmelita Tropicana (Performance)
Cassils (Visual Art)
Shellyne Rodriguez (Visual Art)
Paul Mpagi Sepuya (Visual Art)

Queer|Art|Mentorship (QAM) was launched in 2011 to establish an intergenerational and interdisciplinary network of support and shared knowledge for LGBTQ+ artists. QAM has graduated 149 Fellows, with 95 Mentors, producing a diverse and vibrant community of filmmakers, authors, performers, visual artists, and curators. The program’s enduring success is in the many creative and professional relationships it has nurtured, which continue to propel the careers of a new generation of artists.

Applications are now open through July 31st. Learn more at www.queer-art.org/mentorship