Pass the Baton participants
- Sami Rhymes is an Award-Winning Spoken Word Artist, Poet, Author, Facilitator and Creative from London, UK who also works in Project Management. Sami has performed and headlined at a number of public and private events and festivals in London, nationally and abroad in Malaysia. Media features include BBC Radio London, ITV news, NME and S1:E3 of the BAFTA winning Sky Arts commissioned TV show Life & Rhymes to name a few. Sami uses rhyme as a means of release and therapy and through her spoken word inspires people in her community to speak up and take action. Her poetry touches on everything from identity to relationships to mental health, injustices and day to day experiences.
- Rick de Blaby is the Chief Executive Officer of Get Living PLC, one of the UK’s leading provider of rental homes, best known for its investment, ownership and on going development of East Village where provides over 2,500 homes to more than 5,000 residents who seek the opportunity to belong to a vibrant community. Joining in 2017, Rick brings 43 years of investment and development experience and a passion for placemaking through thoughtful regeneration, that creates economic, environmental and social value.
- Sylvia Morgado is an artist and poet working in the intersections of community arts and wellbeing. Her works are minimal but multilayered, an invitation to slow down and self-reflect. Currently a PhD researcher with the thesis “Diversifying Audiences in UK Arts institutions” at Oxford Brookes University.
- Jaspal Dhaliwal is the Head of Service of Our Newham Learning & Skills. Jaspal is responsible for providing an excellent adult and community learning service that is focussed on the highest standards, employment outcomes and the health and wellbeing of residents.
- Trisha McCauley is the curator of the Humble Gallery, and the outgoing Programmes Manager of Rosetta Arts. Trisha is a commercially trained photographer who spent six years working in the Art and Antiques Unit, part of the organised crime group based at New Scotland Yard, researching and locating stolen works of art, nationally and internationally. After leaving the Met Police, Trisha worked as a photographer and teacher, joining Rosetta Arts as Centre Director in 2007. In 2008 she completed teacher training at City Lit and in 2012 studied Visual Arts at Birkbeck University and completed a foundation in Art and Business at Sotheby’s Institute. Since 2015 Trisha has managed and curated exhibition programmes in The Humble Gallery, and more recently has developed an interest in archival images and local history. She is an advocate for black Caribbean artists, the Windrush generation and actively promotes and raises awareness to the wider community about the contribution this generation has made to modern British history.
- Kev(in) Audience is an artist from last year’s Cultural Producers programme at Rosetta Arts. He says “My work pays homage to the black community’s resilience and sense of belonging, employing vivid colours and shapes illuminated by the flickering lanterns of the African diaspora. With strokes mirroring the working-class pulse and hues that sing the stories of the black experience, my canvases weave whispers of untold tales, breathing life into stories of resilience and unity.”
- Tina Dugard is our Course Registrar & Admin Assistant. She has been working in the local voluntary sector in various capacities for the last 27 years, mostly in the fields of vocational training, advice and advocacy. Passionate about the local community, she holds a London Borough of Newham Community Builders Award.
- Sanaz Amidi is the newly former CEO of Rosetta Arts, passionate about advocating for positive change by harnessing the power of the arts, artists and communities, to generate the widest possible impact. She is Chair of Emergency Exit Arts, one of UK’s pioneering outdoor arts companies, part of the Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation, sits on the board of Africa Women Executives in Energy, an organisation focused on taking women into c-suite roles, and Poet in the City, an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation that creates new audiences for poetry through an eclectic programme of events, commissions and education work. Sanaz is also on the steering groups of the East London Cultural Education Alliance, Plaistow South Big Local and Newham Cultural Education Partnership. Sanaz is a figurative painter, qualified accountant and lecturer with degrees in Fine Arts from Central St Martins and Camberwell College of Arts and a Global Executive MBA from the IESE Business School.
Speakers
- Amber Perrier is an Artist and a Young Trustee at Rosetta Arts. Her work is on drawings of buildings influenced through her life living in East London. Amber has worked in community engagement through Arts, Heritage and Construction across London.
- Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE was orn and bred in Newham, Mayor Fiaz started her career as the national coordinator for an anti-racism organisation working to support the Stephen Lawrence Family Campaign. After that, she established an organisation that dealt with the fall out of the 7/7 terror attacks in London, to ensure communities across the UK remained united and strong while challenging the scourge of racism and Islamophobia.She has large-scale projects for local authorities, the European Commission and the Council of Europe. In June 2009, she was honoured with an OBE for services to Black and Minority Communities in the UK. Her passion for politics is driven by a desire to improve the lives of everyone in our community. “At a time when the Tories austerity agenda is causing havoc and pushing more people into poverty, we need a strong campaigning Labour council in Newham with a Mayor that will fight your corner.”
- Dr Darren Henley CBE is chief executive of Arts Council England. His boardroom experience spans arts, media, education, charity and government. He chairs the UK National Lottery Forum and the National Lottery Promotions Unit management board. His latest book ‘The Arts Dividend Revisited: Why Investment in Culture Pays’ highlights the positive impact of public investment in artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries on creating happier lives in villages, towns and cities across England. Darren is interested in how positive psychology and coaching can combine to help individuals and organisations flourish. He has a doctorate exploring the role of the outsider as an agent for change, master’s degrees in management, in applied positive psychology and in history of art, a postgraduate certificate in coaching for behavioural change, and a degree in politics. Appointed OBE for services to music and CBE for services to the arts, he received the British Academy President’s Medal for his ‘contribution to music education, music research and the arts’.
- David Forrester is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Rosetta Arts and an international expert in education finance and strategy, with extensive experience in planning at national, regional and sub-regional levels of school, further education, training and university systems. After studying a degree at Cambridge University and postgraduate study at Harvard, David joined the UK civil service, working for 30 years in a range of Departments.
- Jan De Schynkel is the Chief Executive of Rosetta Arts since July 2023. Formerly the Arts and Culture Manager at Ealing Council, Jan brings a strong commitment to cultural democracy and empowering local communities. Here he achieved milestones such as setting up a Cultural Education Partnership, managing creative sector grants, and developing a Culture Manifesto through co-creation with diverse communities. Prior to this role, Jan served as a Relationship Manager for Dance at Arts Council England for 12 years, overseeing significant investments in various organizations. He is passionate about supporting artists and continue to provide mentoring and consultancy for resilient business models and funding applications. Jan started his career in the arts as a professional dancer for companies such as Rambert, the Finnish National Ballet and Hamburg Ballet. He has previously choreographed for his own company BARK Dance Productions and Scottish Dance Theatre, as well as working as a mentor, judge, teacher and lecturer for all the major dance conservatoires in the UK and companies such as Wayne McGregor, Matthew Bourne, and Richard Alston.
- We would like to thank Amy Lawrence for directing the Pass the Baton section of our gala event. Amy is a director, choreographer and movement director working across theatre and film, interested in mixing the old with the new. She is passionate about telling stories through the body and drawing out the stories that the body holds. She holds a Diploma in Musical Theatre from CPA Studios, a PG Cert in Collaborative Theatre Making in association with Frantic Assembly and graduated with a distinction from RCSSD’s MA Movement: Directing and Teaching programme where she was also the recipient of the Litz Pisk Scholarship. Amy teaches at Mountview, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and Trinity Laban. She runs community movement workshops through Rosetta Arts.
30 Years, 30 Portraits
Rosetta Arts proudly commemorates three decades of its impactful journey with a visionary celebration: “30 Years, 30 Portraits.” This extraordinary milestone is a testament to the collective spirit that has fueled Rosetta Arts’ growth, and it takes the form of 30 captivating photographic portraits captured by photographer Isabelle Rose Povey.
Each portrait serves as a portal, inviting us to explore the diverse and dedicated individuals who have been instrumental in shaping Rosetta Arts into the vibrant organisation it stands as today. Through the lens of the camera, we are granted a glimpse into the lives and stories of key stakeholders who have played pivotal roles in this remarkable journey.
But the portraits offer more than meets the eye. Click on each image, and a world of rich narratives unfolds – oral histories and stories that provide a deeper understanding of the journeys, challenges, and triumphs that each participant has experienced. These stories are the threads that weave the fabric of Rosetta Arts’ legacy, narrated in the participants’ own words.
These photographic portraits are more than frozen moments in time; they encapsulate the essence of artists who have matured alongside Rosetta Arts, their artistic evolution mirroring the organisation’s own transformative path. The images capture the very soul of these artists, telling stories of growth, inspiration, and dedication etched in every line of their expression.
Yet, the celebration doesn’t end here. Among the portraits, we also find the faces of dedicated staff members who have tirelessly contributed to the seamless functioning of Rosetta Arts’ daily operations. Their commitment, evident in their candid poses, symbolises the backbone of the organisation, ensuring that the artistic vision continues to thrive.
In addition, the photographic collection pays tribute to collaborative partners – those who have joined hands with Rosetta Arts in shared creative endeavors. These portraits stand as a testament to the power of partnerships, where diverse talents converge to create works that resonate beyond the canvas.
As we stand before this gallery of photographic portraits, we are invited to embark on a visual journey through time. Each image holds a chapter, narrating tales of perseverance, innovation, and the collective pursuit of artistic excellence. These portraits are more than pictures; they are windows into the very heart of Rosetta Arts, reflecting its evolution, challenges, and triumphs.
With every portrait, the camera captures not just the subjects’ faces, but the stories that have shaped Rosetta Arts’ legacy. The images serve as a reminder that an organisation’s growth is composed of individual narratives, woven together in a tapestry of shared dreams.
In this celebration of “30 Years, 30 Portraits,” Rosetta Arts honours its past, celebrates its present, and lays the foundation for a future brimming with creativity and possibility. The photographic portraits, with the added layer of participants’ oral history and stories, stand as a visual anthem to the impact of artistic collaboration, dedication, and the enduring spirit of creativity.
