As Rose Aidin collects her MBE at Windsor Castle, Chair of Trustee’s Maureen Hooft Graafland reflects on Rose's work supporting young people and the arts.

As Rose Aidin collected her MBE Award for services to Art History and Young People from His Majesty The King at her investiture on 16 July at Windsor Castle, it was a time for congratulations and celebration, and a moment to reflect on how much she has done for art history and young people.

Although I only joined Art History Link-Up’s board in May, I am hugely impressed by what Rose has achieved since 2016, when she founded the charity. I feel very fortunate that the foundations she has laid down in this time have built a strong, innovative and inclusive charity which is imbued with her passion for art history and access to the arts.

Following a post-graduate degree in Art History from SOAS, the University of London, Rose started her career in the arts first as a journalist and then an Art History teacher. Communicating about art and sharing her love of art history has always been central to her work. She specialised as an Art History teacher first at Lady Margaret School and Camden School for Girls, two of the few state schools to teach A Level Art History, before teaching at James Allen’s Girls’ School, an important partner for the charity since 2017. Rose has personally taught countless young people about art history, and overseen many more: over 650 state students from more than 300 schools across the UK have studied free of charge with Art History Link-Up.

Rose passionately believes that young people should be able to access art history and that the arts sector needs to be more diverse. Of course, the two go hand-in-hand. Fewer than 1% of state schools offer art history so without intervention it follows that the future art workforce is likely to be from independent school backgrounds. As AHLU’s academic year 2024/2025 draws to a close, we can proudly say that over 70% of the 150 plus state students taught this year identified as Minority Ethnic and 54% met Widening Participation criteria. We are equally proud of how many students go on to study Art History at degree level at Russell Group universities and careers in the arts. Since 2020, at least 20 AHLU alumni have been, or will soon be, studying Art History at the University of Cambridge, and from September 2025, there will be alumni in every year of the Art History undergraduate degree programmes at both the Universities of Cambridge and of Oxford, and also at the Courtauld.

Rose says, “I am immensely proud of all our amazing students, who come to us in their own time, and make art history their own, and take it in extraordinary and life-changing directions. I had some idea of the impact that studying art history can have for all young people, however the reality over these years, and the support for our students and work, has been overwhelming. I am also immensely proud of our extraordinary teaching team, now nearly 30-strong, including some alumni and teachers who have been with us almost from the beginning. Most especially our Education and Outreach Officer, Ludo Amory, with AHLU for almost eight years, and our Lead Teacher Jack Dunleavy, with AHLU for almost nine years. Our teacher’s dedication and commitment, and the great practice they are taking out into other areas of their working lives, is truly inspiring. I am also struck by the mobility of our sector, and its willingness to embrace new ideas and ways of operating, especially by our supporters and stakeholders, and now with this award.

This award is really for the entire sector, who have so generously supported our students and make our work possible, and a wonderful endorsement of AHLU’s founding aim of ‘Art History for Everyone’.” - Rose Aidin MBE

What is clear to us all at AHLU, is that Rose’s vision and commitment is at the heart of the Charity and we are all delighted that her work has been recognised with an MBE. On behalf of all the trustees and staff, congratulations Rose!

Maureen Hooft Graafland

Chair of Trustees, Art History Link-Up

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