Bio

Dec 2020

Born and raised in the land of Carnival, Stacey Leigh Ross is a UK-based Trinidadian artist and educator who uses art to create social change. Her work is distinctive for its bold colours and semi-abstract style. She builds confidence in individuals and nurtures creativity, compassion and inclusion in communities.

As a Life Story Artist Stacey has been capturing her clients’ personalities and special moments on canvas for almost 10 years. Born and raised in the land of Carnival, her work is distinctive for its bold colours and semi-abstract style. Her Life Story Art commissions tell stories of IVF babies, Grade II Listed building controversies, political manipulation, racism, cultural pride, immigration, community history, and gay pride to name a few hot topics.

As an educator Stacey has taught students and teachers at primary schools and in Higher Education at the University of the Arts London where she is an occasional Associate Lecturer. Her workshops focus on using creativity to cultivate confidence and engagement, defining artistic and social purpose, inclusive art & design, and social change curation. She has also published articles and spoken at conferences about colourism, inclusive teaching practice and social change curation. Stacey is currently doing doctoral research about recreating the joy and community of Trinidad Carnival to inspire acts of compassion.

In her UK home town of Royston, she is most known for her creative community projects for children and young people like the Young Artists Awards and Schools Art Competition. Her collaboration with local historian Graham Palmer produced a Life Story Art piece about Royston’s first recorded Black man – Roger Britten. This piece is currently in the Royston Museum.

Stacey is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy with an MA in Applied Imagination, a BSc in Business Management, and a PgCert in Academic Practice for Art, Design & Communications with speciality in Inclusive Teaching Practice. Her art prints, originals and other merchandise are available here, at Etsy, and on TeePublic. For more information about Stacey Leigh Ross, visit www.byleigh.com or find her on LinkedIn.