About Us
FACE (Fashion and the Arts Creating Equity) is co-founded by Sharon Lloyd, Senior Academic, Fashion Industry EDI Lead, Champion, and Consultant; Pascal Matthias, Associate Vice President for EDI and Social at The University of Southampton and Awareness and Accountability EDI Consultant, Senior Teaching Fellow at the Winchester School of Art and Andrew Ibi, Course Leader Liverpool John Moores University.
Our work is driven firstly by the belief that wherever anti-Blackness challenge and protocol is centred then all racially minoritised staff and students benefit. Secondly that the intersection of fashion, the arts and academia is a powerful force for positive change.
FACE MISSION STATEMENT 2024
FACE is a not-for profit organisation dedicated to catalysing transformation within Higher Education Arts and Design fields, and the creative industries. Our mission is to champion equity, inclusivity and unity, with a specific focus on addressing issues related to race, colour, and ethnicity.
We believe in interrogating the euro-centric gaze and exploring the etymology of fashion, identity, colonisation and neo-colonisation to disrupt norms and foster progressive dialogue, thus facilitating a landscape where diversity is normalised and celebrated. We commit to amplifying marginalised voices through collaborative efforts and unwavering advocacy. We will inspire, educate, and empower individuals within academic and industry spheres to dismantle systemic barriers, fostering a more equitable and harmonious future for all.
MANIFESTO:
At FACE our purpose is to assess and enhance the holistic experience within UK Higher Education Institutions, focusing on staff and student Recruitment, Progression, Curriculum, Culture and latterly Policy. Guided by a commitment to anti-Blackness, diversity, inclusivity, and equality, we aspire to bring about positive and lasting change in the following key areas:
Recruitment: Inclusive Practices
Enhance the rates of recruitment for students and staff, particularly focusing on increasing representation among underrepresented races, colours, and ethnicities. We strive to create pathways that dismantle barriers and foster inclusivity from the recruitment stage onwards.
Progression: Excellence
Improve the rates of progression for both students and staff, with a specific emphasis on addressing disparities among underrepresented races, colours, and ethnicities. Our goal is to create an environment that ensures equitable opportunities for advancement.
Curriculum: Unbiased and Decolonised
Certify the existence of an unbiased and decolonized curriculum accessible to all students and staff. We believe in enhancing the learning experience for everyone, irrespective of their race, colour, or ethnicity, by embracing diverse perspectives and narratives.
Culture: Curating a Diverse and Inclusive Culture
Enhance, maintain, and embed a diverse and inclusive culture within all Higher Education institutions. We are committed to fostering an environment that not only celebrates diversity but actively includes and values every individual, contributing to a vibrant and enriching educational community.
Policy: Advocacy and Representation
Communicate with and inform Education, industry, and government policies and practices through lobbying and representation. We seek to be a proactive voice for positive change, influencing policies that promote diversity, equality, and inclusivity across the education sector.
Our mission is grounded in the belief that education should be a transformative and equitable experience for all, and a catalysed for positive societal change. By addressing these key pillars, we aim to contribute to a more inclusive, supportive, and empowering educational landscape in the UK.
PILLAR Presidents
Our Pillar Presidents are responsible for making sure that each Committee is planned effectively, conducted according to the FACE Strategy and that matters are dealt with in an orderly, efficient manner. Pillar Presidents lead their committee members, regularly reviewing performance and identifying and managing the process for renewal of the committee through recruitment of new members. Pillar Presidents represent the organisation as spokesperson at, for example, functions or meetings.
FACE members have come together for these projects:
See My FACE 2021. Having run a survey for 3 months with results from 881 participants, we created a damming report on race inequality and linked it to student educational and psychological trauma resulting in the attainment gap. We presented at the CHEAD annual meeting. Our report PDF findings are here.
We believe the NSS must implement race aware and race equality questions to prevent further false positives from being registered through race exclusion questions. We critiqued NSS and TEF which was published on WONKHE here
We completed a two day FACE RACE Summit 2022, hosted at Central Saint Martins. See full report and panel talks here. We also completed a further interim one day summit 2023 also hosted at Central Saint Martins. We are now engaged with the Royal College of Art for our next Summit 2024.
February 2024 we launched the See My Academic FACE 2024 sponsored by Kingston School of Art.
April 2024 we will launch the FACE Race Handbook. A collaboration between our members to create curriculum, module and assessment criteria tools that center anti racism narratives through out.
We are working with minoritised and non-minoritised academics as a collective force to override individual institutional lethargy. See our Members and Associates
We are gathering evidence of the ineffective systems currently in place for progressing a grievance. White institutions, HR depts, unions and legal firm are unable to recognise the trauma of indirect and long term racism. We will create guidance for our members to help other navigate a white centric system.
We are progressing a grievance as a legal matter and will be reporting on our findings
We are working with committed white academics to create a range of anti-racist projects. Our widening participation film: FASHION NEEDS COLOUR is free to all institutions and is available to use in your recruitment talks. See this here
Join us on Instagram @_weareface and use #weareface in all your conversations promoting the inclusion of race aware and race equality change. Tag us in to your posts. Join us in change. Help us create equality.
Working within higher education, further education and the fashion industry, our aims, centre around four pillars for race equality: Recruitment, Progression, Curriculum, Culture and Policy
FACE asserts that student feedback and course or module evaluation must include race and culture in the metrics. FACE encourages everyone to harness Position, Power, Privilege and Purpose in order to challenge their individual institutions.
Improvement
FACE academics will each work with their organisations to highlight and act upon the following…
Improvement of Black staff recruitment
Improvement of Black staff progression
Improvement of Black student recruitment
Improvement of Black student progression
Assess, encourage and improve a culture of DIE in higher education
Develop an anti-racist fashion curriculum in higher education
Monitor diverse experience through SES. MES, NSS
Create learning resources to support staff and students
IMPORTANT: FACE do not endorse mentoring or training up of white academics solely to replace the need for Black and racially minoritised academics. FACE demands budgets for Black Academics NOW.
Lobbying
Use your position to bring these issue to the fore.
Assessment criteria must include culture, diversity and equality. While these aspects of learning are not included in the evaluation metrics, race remains ignored.
FACE also proposes ALL Universities to sign up to the Race Equality Charter (REC). There are currently 75 members and only 17 award holders of the Race Equality Charter.
Measurability and Accountability
FACE will implement Diversity and Inclusivity through measurability and accountability scales. The impact of direct subject- based questions will create seismic change and action in education at HE. If programmes, departments, schools, staff, students are asked to…
Comment on the Diversity and Inclusivity of the assessment. (SES) (NSS)
Include information on what processes, procedures and methods were used to ensure the module was diverse and inclusive to all Black and Brown students (MES)(SES)
How could/should/will the module be enhanced with specific regards to inclusivity and diversity of the assessment? (MES)
Comment on the inclusivity and diversity of the assessment of the MES? Do any measures need to be improved or modified in light of the student’s comments? (MES)(SES)
Help us…
We are looking for reps from each Art School institution for our action group.
Join our Members or white Associates Groups
Use the Join us page to put yourself forward for membership. All minoritised academics welcome. If you are a white academic or student (minoritised or non-minoritised) wishing to accelerate change with your commitment anti-racism we can’t wait to meet you!