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Alumna Rose Aidin MBE founded Art History Link-Up (AHLU), an educational charity dedicated to making art history more accessible to young people from all backgrounds. She spoke to us about her time at SOAS and what has driven her in her career. 

Did you know that fewer than 1% of state schools offer Art History A level? This statistic inspired SOAS alumna Rose Aidin to found Art History Link-Up (AHLU), an educational charity dedicated to making art history more accessible to young people from all backgrounds. As she so beautifully puts it, “I believe in the power of art history to transform lives.”

Rose's journey from SOAS to AHLU

It all started a little over thirty years ago, when Aidin enrolled in an MA in History of Art at SOAS, seeking what her undergraduate studies had lacked—a focus on non-Western art traditions. Under the mentorship of SOAS faculty, she dedicated herself to Japanese, Chinese, and Islamic art, studying just a stone’s throw from the British Museum. She shouts out Professor Timon Screech’s Japanese Art History courses as a particular favourite. 

I believe in the power of art history to transform lives.

"The extraordinarily high standard of teaching, use of the object as source, and the very real commitment to diversity [at SOAS]” all deeply inform her work today. Aidin’s early career saw her primarily within the commercial art world, where she interviewed artists for publications including The Times, The Guardian, and The Telegraph. 

But it was her time teaching Art History A level in the few state schools that offered it that inspired her critical mission: to create educational opportunities for students to engage with art history, using public museums and galleries as classrooms.

Art history for all

Today, Art History Link-Up (AHLU) offers free, accredited art history courses to state school students, taught in museums, galleries, and online. On any given day, you’ll find Aidin directing AHLU’s strategy and programmes, devising courses, and overseeing fundraising efforts to ensure these educational opportunities continue to grow. 

As a result of these efforts, AHLU not only nurtures and diversifies future talent but also ensures that museums remain critical and accessible to younger generations. 

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Of course, Aidin envisions a future where her charity is no longer necessary - where art history is a part of every student’s education. Until then, she remains committed to expanding AHLU’s reach, ensuring that all GCSE-level students have access to accredited art history courses. 

In recognition of her incredible work, Aidin was recently awarded an MBE for services to art history and young people in the New Year Honours for 2025.

Advice for future art historians and educators

For SOAS students - and anyone passionate about making a difference in education and the arts - Aidin advises us to “cultivate an acceptance of change, flexibility and being poised for opportunity, as it’s never obvious when it comes, but always there.” 

Her remarkable career is a testament to the importance of art history in our curricula. As AHLU states: “Through the study of art history, the close observation of works of art and the understanding of history and social context, questions about the making, meaning and impact of art and how these have changed over time are addressed.”

Header image credit: Zalfa Imani via Unsplash.