Onkaparinga Youth Art mentorship

Applications now open!

Onkaparinga Youth are seeking Expressions of Interest for the 2026 Art Mentorship Program. This program seeks to nurture and support young emerging artists within the City of Onkaparinga to present artwork in an exhibition for the 2026 SALA Festival. This program is in it's 7th year and has supported more than 20 young artists to exhibit their artwork and develop their practice in this time.

Selected artists will be mentored by Youth Arts Officer and artist, Carly Snoswell. Mentorship includes:

• SALA registration
• Venue hire at exhibition location
• Marketing
• Access to Onkaparinga Youth equipment and studio facilities
• Monthly artist development workshops delivered by a facilitator
• Support in facilitating an exhibition for the SALA Festival including installation, developing an artist statement and curatorial assistance.

SALA Festival, or South Australian Living Artists Festival, is an open access arts festival that celebrates artists across all of South Australia during the month of August. SALA continues to grow more each year and we are excited for our young artists to be a part of it. 

For this year’s art mentorship theme, artists will be asked to pick what they see as the most important issue young people are facing in Australia today and reflect this in their artwork.

How to apply

Onkaparinga Youth encourage applications from artists of all skills levels. Please complete the expression of interest form below and include as many examples of previous works as possible.

Eligibility

• Aged 25 and under.
• Live, work (study) or play within the City of Onkaparinga (please note priority will be given to those living within City of Onkaparinga).
• Must be available to attend 5x workshops prior to the exhibition. These workshops will be held on the third Monday of each month – 16^th March, 20^th April, 18^th May, 22^nd June, 20^th July. Workshops will be held in the late afternoon/early evening and will focus on relevant topics such as how to sell and price your art. The first workshop will be an informal meet and greet with Youth Arts Officer and mentor, Carly Snoswell, where artists will be given the opportunity to ask Carly questions and start planning for the exhibition.

Assessment criteria 

Applications will be assessed by an independent panel across the following selection criteria:

• Artistic Merit - Creative achievement and skill of the artist. Quality/potential of proposed artwork and previous artwork.
• Development - Potential to enhance and the commitment to develop the skills and new pathways for the artist. 
• Innovation - Onkaparinga Youth encourages ambitious and creative ideas.

If you have any questions please contact Carly Snoswell on 0466 350 118 or Carly.Snoswell@onkaparinga.sa.gov.au

Applications close 5pm Sunday 22nd February 2026. 

When

Location

Aldinga