The Kinhouse Cohort is a year long mentorship program committed to sustainable career growth, interdependence and generative practices for 9-12 selected artists.
All selected artists will receive monthly mentorship, a group exhibition at Kinhouse Gallery in Fort Wayne, IN, and intensive and personalized support for their art career. For the duration of the yearly cohort, artists will connect weekly via WhatsApp and have a dedicated 90 minute meeting once a month via zoom . Artists will also be able to attend an optional week long residency at Kinhouse Residency in Fort Wayne, IN for a subsidized fee.
This is an opportunity for artists looking to learn and grow in generative community, prioritize sustainable values that can support their careers, focus their commitments to their art careers and dedicate time and attention to their studio practices. Weekly connection via WhatsApp and our monthly zoom meetings are essential to your participation in this program.
This program will provide you with an abundance of feedback, encouragement, accountability, community and support for your long term goals. We can’t promise, but we suspect that lifelong artist friends will be made during this cohort experience!
A full year of deeper connections, generous feedback, and meaningful mentorship for 9-12 artists!
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1 monthly meet up (virtual via zoom) to workshop goals, discuss art and connect about career strategies
Accountability group with the artists and Kaylan on Whatsapp to connect every week
Mentorship support from Kaylan throughout the year including a 1-1 session to discuss your exhibition plan and art career goals
Group exhibition at Kinhouse Gallery in Fort Wayne, IN in January 2027
Promotion of your work on our Kinhouse IG and newsletter list
ADDITIONALLY each cohort artist will receive the following during the year:
1 Studio Visit (with an artist, curator or arts professional outside of the cohort)
1 Website review
1 Bio + Art Writing review
1 Artist Statement revision session
1 Social Media Review
Optional subsidized residency week at Kinhouse Residency (solo or 2-3 cohort artists at a time)
Extended support and reviews for grant or application writing -
The cohort experience is designed to facilitate your growth as an artist through sustainable practices and community support.
Every month we will meet as a cohort to connect, focus our intentions, discuss what we are working on and resource share with each other.
These meetings will be guided by Kaylan to be a conscious, intentional and nourishing experience. We will hold ourselves and each other accountable to our desires for growth in our art while also balancing compassion and empathy for the life we will experience together.
Weekly prompts will be sent out to the group via WhatsApp and we will connect there. Your participation on WhatsApp and in our monthly zoom meetings are what make this group meaningful.Kaylan will be available for personalized mentorship as well throughout the year. Your connection will be facilitated through WhatsApp and Kaylan will be available on set office days to connect, answer questions, and check in.
Each cohort artist will receive 1 studio visit from an artist, curator or arts professional that will take place virtually or in person (if a mentor is close to your area). Kaylan will facilitate the mentor selection based on your goals and work. -
Group Show:
All Kinhouse Cohort artists will have the opportunity to participate in a group exhibition at Kinhouse gallery! We are thrilled to be able to include this opportunity in the cohort experience.
We will work together as a cohort to discuss the theme, title, statement and more for the show. Preparation for this exhibition will be collaborative between the cohort artists and Kaylan.
An opening reception will take place during the exhibition month and your work will be promoted on the Kinhouse platform. The show will most likely take place in early 2027. Cohort artists are not required, but are encouraged to attend!
View the exhibition, “Shared Structures” from the 2025 cohort HERE.
Please note: Each artist will be responsible for shipping their work to and from the gallery. -
Each of the artists in our cohort will have the opportunity to spend a week at the Kinhouse Residency in Fort Wayne, IN if they choose to do so.
To make the cohort program accessible, the residency is not included in your cohort fee but a subsidized price will make the experience accessible for the artists wanting to attend.
You can book a solo week or come with 2 or 3 cohort artists. Your residency will take place sometime in the second half of the 2026 calendar year. Many artists choose to book their residency at the same time of the group exhibition in January/February 2027.
The residency has 2 studio spaces + 3 bedrooms and lots of common space/room for 3 artists to be there at a time.Please note that travel costs, groceries, and studio supplies are not included.
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The Kinhouse Cohort program will operate on a sliding scale model with a financial commitment for the 2026 year in 2 sliding scale options of $1,500 or $1,800 (total for 12 months).
This price includes everything in the program: monthly mentorship and zoom calls, private WhatsApp group, a professional studio visit, art writing reviews, exhibition and more.
1 week residency opportunity is optional and will be offered at a subsidized fee for cohort artists.
The program fee will be broken into 4 payments due:
February 6th, 2026
April 3rd, 2026
June 5th, 2026
August 7th, 2026
Not included: shipping costs for art to/from the exhibition at our gallery in Fort Wayne, IN
There is no fee to apply to this program!
Applications are due January 26th, 2026.
Artists will be notified by February 2nd, 2026 and we will begin meeting in February!
A Year of Growth
The Kinhouse Cohort experience will provide you with consistent encouragement, mentorship and community as you navigate your year as an artist. We believe in the power of these elements to propel artists towards growth!
Kaylan has years of experience facilitating community for artists through the Artist/Mother podcast community, the Thrive Together Network, 11 seasons of Crit Crew Programming and more. She so proud of our 2025 Cohorts and the program we are growing here through our Kinhouse eco-system. Artist community and mentorship is her jam and the cohort experience provides the perfect balance of virtual and in person community with the culminating group exhibition and optional in person residency.
A full year of connection and community for 9-12 dedicated artists!
Areas of focus:
Value-led studio practices
Sustainable systems for art admin
Reading, Writing and Research
Pursuing meaningful art making goals
Growing creative resilience
Maintaining boundaries with social media
Cultivating self kindness and generosity
Creating a generative art network
Seeking opportunities with impact
“Kaylan's mentorship and support helped bring my creative practice to the next level. She encouraged me to dream big, break projects into manageable pieces, and stay grounded in my goals, including balancing my roles as a parent, artist, and activist. I'm in awe of how much I have accomplished in the last year as a result.” - Anna Pancoast
“I feel really grateful to have been mentored by Kaylan--she is the real deal and operates from an honest and integrated perspective--she has spent years cultivating a supportive and generous community of artists, and having the opportunity to build quality relationships and learn from the collective wisdom of a group with such vision and grit has been a gift both professionally and personally.” - Kassie Palmer
“Working with Kaylan as a mentor was a fantastic and eye opening experience! She helped me to see how the various strands of my art practice were connected, and pointed out my strengths and uniqueness. With Kaylan's wide and extensive knowledge of artists and their practices, she could identify who to look to for ideas and inspiration and gave me a refreshed and renewed passion for my art!.” - Shantala Robinson
“The mentorship, support, and community Kaylan built were life-changing. By bringing artists together through a program that included prompts and guidance, but also the real tangible support of showing and selling work, she and Pam helped us level-up our careers. Her unique mix of compassion, art world knowledge, organizational and community-building skills are invaluable. I highly recommend working with Kaylan!” - Rebecca Potts Aguirre
“I had the pleasure of being a part of Kaylan’s critique group in 2023. She lead with a clear and organized approach which helped me stay on track and understand expectations. Within that well articulated structure, she worked with us to create a group plan that was attainable and balanced so everyone had the chance to be heard and provide feedback. I really appreciate her practical leadership skills, but more importantly, her kind and empathetic approach. She not only gave and encouraged helpful feedback for our work (to include a thoughtful personal reflection email after we concluded), but she also facilitated community by layering in prompts to write to one another. Working with her always left me feeling more grounded and centered, especially when she made space within our meetings for gentle “big picture” reflection. I highly recommend working with Kaylan if you have the opportunity! Her wisdom has stayed with me long after the group concluded and I’m so glad I had the chance to work with her. ” - Kristin Cronic