Textile artist and craft maker

I’m a textile artist and craft maker because my passion is my art. I’m also a diversity relationship manager with Arts Council England, and a creative consultant.

I’ve been deaf since I was four, from meningitis, so I’ve had to be assertive throughout my career to be on an equal footing with my hearing peers. I feel strongly about making a difference and breaking down barriers.

After I graduated from my Textiles course, I became a creative consultant to make the pathways into arts and crafts more open than they’d been for me, and to bring deaf and hearing people together in a creative dialogue.

At work, I use interpreters and notetakers, Zoom and FaceTime. I put in extra time for planning, to make sure that events and meetings are accessible, without last-minute changes.

My achievements include receiving an MBE, being nominated for East Sussex Woman of the Year 2022, my Clore Fellowship Leadership 2019/20, and receiving an art residency in Qatar. Don’t be afraid to have a dream. The path to success won’t always be straightforward but treat rejections as a positive learning experience. With the support of a good mentor, you can achieve anything.

Omeima Mudawi-Rowlings

Autumn 2022 Families magazine