News To supplement its Awards for Enterprise, Rolex has inaugurated a programme of artistic sponsorship, the first edition of which has recently come to a conclusion. Presentation.
Rolex has established a new, unique philanthropic programme in the arts - the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative - by giving five promising young artists the chance to enjoy extended contact with five leaders in the arts: theatre artist Robert Wilson, choreographer William Forsythe, novelist and Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison, conductor Colin Davis and architect and Pritzker Prize winner Alvaro Siza (from left to right in our photo where they surround Patrick Heiniger, General Manager of the Geneva based firm, standing in the centre). These extraordinary artists have served as Mentors during the programme's inaugural cycle.
The five young talented artists, from four continents, were able to have substantial contact with their Mentors, gaining experience of their artistic disciplines at the highest level. They also benefited from practical advice on managing their careers. The Protégés chosen for the first cycle were novelist Julia Leigh, Sydney, theatre artist Federico Leon, Buenos Aires, dancer Sang Jijia, Hong Kong, architect Sahel Al-Hiyari, Amman, and conductor Josep Caballé Domenech, Barcelona (from left to right and top to bottom in the photo).
These five remarkable relationships began in June 2002 with the launch of the programme. "The programme fills a void in arts philanthropy," Patrick Heiniger, Chief Executive Officer of Rolex, said at the ceremony to launch the initiative. "We believe that no other company is supporting individual artists in such a systematic way, internationally, or across such a broad spectrum of artistic areas. We do so because Rolex wants to ensure that the world's artistic heritage is passed on personally, in the irreplaceable, time-honoured tradition of master and protégé".
The first year of mentoring ended in June 2003. To mark this date, Patrick Heiniger welcomed the Mentors and their Protégés to Rolex headquarters in Geneva for a meeting, which gave them a unique opportunity to meet the other artists from a wide variety of disciplines. In fruitful discussions, the Mentors and Protégés shared their experiences of the mentoring year that had just come to an end. Without exception they all expressed their fervent wish that their relationships continue.
Patrick Heiniger also pointed out that the programme complements the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, established in 1976 to support individuals who are advancing human knowledge and well-being in innovative ways. Laureates of the Awards for Enterprise are chosen for their outstanding personal achievements in the fields of science and medicine; technology and innovation; exploration and discovery; the environment; and cultural heritage.
For Rolex, the new artistic programme is a way of continuing the company's long tradition of recognising and supporting individual achievement and encouraging excellence. By searching for gifted young artists and putting them in direct contact with masters in their field, Rolex hopes to give them the most precious gift a young artist can receive: time to learn, to grow and to create.
The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative operates on a two year cycle. Each cycle bring together Mentors and Protégé at a critical stage in their career in the disciplines of dance, literature, music, theatre, visual arts and, from 2004, film.
An eminent Advisory Board helped set up the programme and oversees its progress. The members of the Advisory Board for the inaugural cycle were author Peter Carey; visual artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude; attorney and arts philanthropist Alain Coblence; author Ariel Dorfman; architect Frank Gehry; editor and publisher Paul Gottlieb (1935-2002); opera and theatre director Peter Hall; cultural producer Harvey Lichtenstein; prima ballerina Yoko Morishita; soprano Jessye Norman; broadcaster, writer and fundraiser Valerie Solti; and author Wole Soyinka.
Expert nominating panels - one for each artistic discipline - identify accomplished younger artists who have not yet had an opportunity to fulfil their great potential. The nominating panels operate independently and anonymously, looking for young artists around the world. Neither the nominating panels nor the Rolex staff accept applications. During the programmes first cycle, the nominating panels reviewed the work of 96 young artists from 39 countries in order to select Protégé candidates for the Mentors' consideration.
Rolex provides a stipend of $25,000 to each Protégé for the year of mentoring. Rolex also gives support for showcase events, to be organised by the Protégés themselves in various countries. To help give exposure to both the Protégés and the programme, Rolex is documenting the year of mentoring in a book and a documentary film.
In November 2003, Rolex will host a gala dinner honouring the Mentors and Protégés, to be held in New York City at the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center. The names of the Mentors for the next cycle of the programme will be announced at the end of the gala dinner.
August 28, 2003
