The Judges
Melanie Abrahams is the Director of NALD, the National Association for Literature Development, and she curates spoken word shows and parties through her company Tilt. She is a founder of agency renaissance one which tours writers and mentors emerging producers, and a member of the Board of Wasafiri, the magazine of international creative writing.
Munira Mirza is Director for Policy, Arts, Culture and the Creative Industries for the GLA. She has worked for a range of cultural organisations including the Royal Society of Arts and Tate. She is a member of Arts Council London, MLA London, a Council Member on the UK Committee of the European Cultural Foundation and is a founding member of the Manifesto Club.
Jonathan Moulds is President, Europe, the Middle East & Africa and has regional responsibility for Latin America and Canada at Bank of America. He is a strong supporter of the arts and currently sits on the Board of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). He is also Chairman of the LSO Advisory Council. He is a keen collector of fine musical instruments.
John Rennie is a journalist and broadcaster for national newspapers and magazines, writing about the history and culture of London as well as on finance and property. For over thirteen years he has written the East End History column for the weekly newspaper East End Life. He is the author of 100 Faces of the East End and is a visiting lecturer at City University, London.
Soraya Rodriguez is the Director of Zoo Art Fair which identifies and platforms emerging commercial and non-commercial art organisations including galleries, project spaces, artist collectives, curatorial groups and publications. She is a Board Member at Film and Video Umbrella and a visiting lecturer at Wimbledon School of Art and the Royal College of Art.
Christopher Woodward is an art historian who has become interested in gardens and landscape in his middle-age. He was a Curator at Sir John Soane’s Museum and Director of The Holburne Museum of Art, before coming to Lambeth two years ago to become Director of the Museum of Garden History, relaunched and re-opened recently as The Garden Museum.
Joshua Sofaer
Joshua Sofaer is the artist behind Rooted in the Earth. His work is concerned with modes of collaboration and participation.
Often with an irreverent sense of humour, he plays with established forms of production, appropriating and reconfiguring the chat show, competition, lecture, or museum display.
He acts as curator, producer or director of a broad range of projects, including large-scale events, intimate performances, and publications.
CREATE ‘09
CREATE is the cultural partnership of the five host boroughs for the 2012 Games – Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. The boroughs are working together with leading venues, cultural organisations and festivals to develop CREATE into an internationally significant festival and a permanent annual feature in the cultural calendar leading up to and following 2012.
CREATE will develop in scale and stature in the years leading up to 2012. Like the Manchester International Festival, which emerged from the Commonwealth Games, it will continue after the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, developing East and South East London’s reputation as the cultural heart of London. In 2014, the Olympic park will reopen, and CREATE will be the high point of a year-round world-class arts programme.
Bank of America
Bank of America is a major supporter of arts and heritage in the United States, and increasingly in Europe. The approach is built on a foundation that combines responsible business practices with good corporate citizenship. As a financial institution, Bank of America is accountable for serving its shareholders, customers, associates, and the communities it serves. The bank’s support of the arts and arts-related non-profit organizations is an effective way to serve stakeholders, in the short term, by driving positive business results through support of local economies. Over the long term, this support helps fuel innovation that drives a nation’s progress and shapes its future.
Bank of America provides financial support to museums, theatres and other arts-related organizations, allowing them to expand their programming and to increase access to the arts in their communities. Through its unique Art Exhibition programme, Bank of America shares exhibits from its corporate collection with the community, by partnering with local and national museums and non-profit galleries. In addition, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation provides strategic philanthropic support to museums, theatres and other arts-related nonprofits to benefit underserved populations and increase access to the arts.
Credits
Website Design & Construction: Do Tank
Original Drawings: Robin Whitmore
Horticultural Advisor: Janine Pattison
Rooted in the Earth would like to thank V&A Museum of Childhood, Spread the Word, Discover, and Solar Associates.
