History of Rosetta Arts

Rosetta Arts is currently based at the Gainsborough Learning Centre in West Ham in the London Borough of Newham.

We are an accessible, community-based visual arts centre, with facilities including a pottery studio, darkroom, printmaking and painting rooms, a gallery and a photographic studio. 

Rosetta Arts is currently based at the Gainsborough Learning Centre in West Ham in the London Borough of Newham. 

With the support of key partners such as Arts Council England, Rosetta Arts has developed a major role locally since its inception in 1993 at Rosetta Primary School; hence our name. 

To address a lack of provision for contemporary visual art learning in Newham, University lecturer and RCA graduate Yvonne Humble began working with local people and artists in Newham, running art programmes in a single studio. Her approach was innovative and experimental, encouraging students to develop their own syllabus tailored to personal interests and needs over a period of three years. The studio workshops provided space for creative exploration whilst developing entrepreneurial skills through professional development workshops.

The above approach has become part of Rosetta’s DNA.
In 1995, Rosetta Arts relocated to its current home in West Ham.
Since then, it continued to grow and in 2018 with Sanaz Amidi at the helm, Rosetta Arts became a CIO, a registered Charity, and an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO).

 From 2026, we will be opening a Creative Campus for Newham - a hub for creativity, community and change -  providing a home to other cultural organisations and affordable artist studio spaces.

One of the Centre’s early students was Alexander McQueen. Yvonne remembers when he first came to her:
“Lee, as he wanted to be called, came to me as an evening student when he was learning
tailoring in Saville Row. His first words were not just to be an everyday student, but to
tell me he wanted to be a great designer of clothes.”
Alexander was one of many that came to the Centre with ambitions, and were
supported, encouraged and trained to work towards them. This ethos of nurturing creative talent has always stayed central to Rosetta.

Following new leadership of CEO Jan De Schynkel in August 2023, there has been a significant period of organisational development, which continues still. This has included transformational Board development and renewal; new staff structures; updated systems, structures and policies; strategic planning, trustees and stakeholders; rebranding and a new website.

We are placing a renewed focus on:

• Collaborative partnerships, empowerment of local voices and relevant programming that addresses individual and hyper-local barriers and needs
  
• Rosetta as a connector: Re-asserting Rosetta’s unique USPs amidst the wider strategic Newham picture
  
• Re-focusing our business and operational model and strengthening organisational skills, systems and capacity

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Where Creativity Builds Community

Rosetta Arts, 1 Hamilton Rd London E15 3AE, UK

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Company registration no. 3167185. | Charity no. 1177462

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