Hello!
Jean and Zoey began their Intergenerational Co-Mentoring project in 2020
They were interested in exploring a non-hierarchical mentoring model; and described it as "distributed wisdom."
Borrowing from their clown work, they accept that they are both experts and know nothing, simultaneously.
As part of their work together, they have co-created The Office of Kindness.
They are excited to share this practice widely as they believe many of the issues we face right now need multiple, intergenerational persectives to ignite change.
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Jean is the Director of the Teaching Artistry Program at Lincoln Center Education. She represented LCE at the International Teaching Artist Conferences (ITAC) in Oslo, Brisbane, Edinburgh, New York City, Seoul, and most recently in Auckland, NZ. Jean and her intergenerational co-mentor, Zoey Peacock Jones, created The Office of Kindness, an interactive clown-inspired installation offering whimsy as a remedy for life’s daily dilemmas. Their Intergenerational Co-Mentoring work explores a non-hierarchical mentoring model built on the concept of distributed wisdom and the accompanying belief that we are all experts and we nothing at the same time. Jean also teaches Theatrical Clown for the College of Performing Arts BFA and MFA programs and for The Barrow Group Arts Center. Her approach to theatrical clown has been published in Movement for Actors, Allworth Press. Jean serves on ITAC’s Leadership Committee and is a board member for the Maxine Greene Institute for Aesthetic Education and for AHAS (Archive for Health, Art and Spirit).
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Zoey Shea Peacock-Jones is Canadian teaching artist, clown, actor and projector designer living in New York City. She received her BFA from The New School in 2023, and was invited back to be faculty shortly after her graduation, making her the youngest part time faculty on The New School’s roster. She co-taught a brand new course designed with Jean E. Taylor, her intergenerational co-mentor. Jean and Zoey have been working together as intergenerational co-mentors for over five years now, and created this course in the hopes of passing on their work to more co-mentor pairs. The course explores a non-hierarchical mentoring model built on the concept of distributed wisdom and the accompanying belief that we are all experts and we know nothing at the same time. Zoey also assists in the teaching of many clown classes with Jean E. Taylor all across the city, including The New School and The Barrow Group. Stemming from their clown work, Zoey and Jean created the Office of Kindness, an interactive installation offering whimsy as a remedy to life’s daily dilemmas. The installation was first conducted at the ITAC7 conference in Auckland, NZ. The vast majority of her clown training comes from Jean, but she has also trained with Philippe Gaulier in France. Zoey also works with the New York Neo-Futurists as a designer, creating unique lighting, sound, and projection designs for up to 15 new short plays every single week. She is a member of the ITAC Leadership Committee, and is part of the Young ITAC group supporting the continued involvement of younger members.