Carol Leach Ba Hons. BSc. DipM,
Director of Arts Award Initiative
Nothing directed me towards an artistic career when I was young, and for many years I was a bored projects manager for some companies in London.
I then worked for a national charity called Potential Plus, as an Events Organiser for their Kent Branch - that was great fun. Then one day, when I was looking for alternative qualifications for the kids to take, I found the Arts Awards, and my life has not been the same since!
The qualification had just been developed and it was very new, but it looked great, so I trained as an Adviser for Bronze and Silver, and a few months later I trained as an Adviser for Gold too. The kids at our events loved taking the different levels, working with so many artists and performers. As soon as Arts Award introduced Discover and Explore level I had my whole team of teachers train to lead these Awards.
After a year or so I trained as a Moderator and I worked for Trinity for several years before my role as Adviser became all-encompassing.
I started Arts Award Initiative Limited when the Charity, lost their funding. We started small but grew rapidly, and for the last few years we have had between 400-500 students working with us at any time.
We went online during lockdown when we stopped all outside workshops. My friends at Trinity College were very supportive as I developed the study packs, and they really encouraged me to fulfil the potential of the Company.
I thought I would miss teaching face to face, but our students keep me very busy at home. It’s fun and exciting, and I love my job and I love to read about all the art adventures my students enjoy. I love the freedom they have to learn any media they want, and express themselves in their own way. It's exhilarating and very rewarding when they do well.
My art media is textiles, particularly natural wool, and I create felt pictures using wet and dry felting techniques. I have had some success with this, exhibiting locally, and selling a few, but AAI keeps me so busy I hardly have time to create any more!
Ely Leach, Adviser
I am 21, and art has always been my favourite pastime.
My mother was one of the first Arts Award Advisers in the UK, and consequently, I spent my formative years at art events, where I enjoyed learning many art techniques and mastered a variety of art media.
As a home-educated student, I worked towards my Bronze, Silver and Gold Arts Awards at a young age, and trained as an Adviser at the age of 18.
I currently work as a teaching assistant, working with very young children whom I love, and I also work as an Adviser for Arts Award Initiative Limited
Being home-educated I was able to use my learning in different academic subjects to create art. My favourite subject was Maths, and my favourite art form is creating geometric mandalas, working with a pen and compass to create intricate patterning with great attention to details.
I passed Crest Awards at Bronze and Silver levels in my early teens which sparked an interest in science, and I enjoy experimental science which results in works of art.
I also enjoy working with textiles, and love silk painting.
Mikey Stephens, Adviser
I am 33, a wife and mother of 2, and a teaching assistant for students taking GCSE’s and A levels.
I found art at school a little boring, very samey, but I loved working towards my Arts Award with my mum who was one of the first Advisers for the Arts Award.
When I was in my teens she organised events for the Kent branch of Potential Plus, and every month she arranged for a different artist to visit our group and share their skills with us, so I was very lucky.
Consequently, my friends in the group, and I, completed a Gold level Award, two years before anyone else in the South East. We were very proud. For this Award I taught a summer school in textiles, we had so much fun there, and the attendees loved playing with the different fabrics. One of my favourite classes to teach was silk painting, I have always enjoyed silk painting.
My favourite artists were those who were also scientists, and I learned so much from them about both art and science and how both can work together to create exquisite art. I really enjoy scientific illustration and found my skills came in handy when I was taking my science degree.
With this background, it was inevitable that I would become an Adviser, but I was particularly honoured to be able to train with one of the first cohorts who become Advisers for Discover and Explore levels. That year I co-taught a summer school for young people to take these Awards and it was very rewarding for them and for myself and my fellow teachers. My favourite activity to teachwas T-shirt painting, the kids could really use those colours.
Abi Goodwin, social media
I am a 27-year-old personal trainer and I prefer performance art to any other artform.
I enjoyed dance and singing in my teens and took these artforms for my Silver and Gold Arts Awardrespectively.
I create a lot of the social media content for Arts Award Initiative, and I created the logo.
