OSCH works with youth boards, educators and arts professionals from Manchester, Glasgow, Rajshahi, Karachi, Lahore and Bengaluru.
Ishwari Arambam
MAP, Bengaluru, India
I’m Ishwari Arambam (a.k.a Eva), born 1996, Meitei, black hair. I aspire to create and foster lively and meaningful exchanges on contemporary art and youth culture with significant research. I have previously worked with art festivals such as the Kochi-Muziris Biennale as an art mediator in 2018, and the Kigali Photo Fest, Rwanda in 2019.
Bibi Hajra Arbab has a Master’s degree from San Francisco State University where she majored in Film & Electronic Media. Her experience is mainly in sales and distribution in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. She is also leading Business Development and Legal Affairs at The Colony. Bibi will be managing the OSCH project from The Colony's side.
The OSCH Changemakers in Glasgow are a group of young people of South Asian heritage, aged 16 – 24. They were recruited after a successful pilot programme in Autumn 2021, where 4 young people developed a museum test in order to critique and evaluate galleries and displays in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
Miles Greenwood was appointed Curator of Legacies of Slavery and Empire at Glasgow Museums in September 2020 on a two-year contract funded by Museums Galleries Scotland. His role involves planning and coordinating Glasgow Museums’ approach to addressing the legacies of Transatlantic Slavery and The British Empire.
Sadia is the Our Shared Cultural Heritage (OSCH) Coordinator at Manchester Museum, where she mentors young people to lead on critical and creative work around identities and belongings. Sadia’s work at the Museum revolves around engaging under-represented young people with heritage. This includes making the Museum a better place for young people to explore identities and belongings, connect with others, and become active and vocal participants in organisational decision making.
“Our aim with OSCH is to create curiosity in young people and love for their heritage. With these workshops and sessions, one can find a huge opportunity to connect and reconnect with missing links in any culture. It is important to talk about it and share the options with youth to reconnect.”
Dr. Asma Ibrahim, the Director of the State Bank Museum’s Archives and Art Gallery department, is a senior archaeologist, museologist and conservationist. She is the General Secretary, and a pioneer member, of the SEAS Pakistan & Centre for Archaeological & Environmental Research.
Hawwa is one of the Manchester Museum OSCH Cultural Learning & Participation Officers. Hawwa plans, runs and evaluates projects and campaigns for young people from diverse backgrounds. These projects often relate to identity, heritage and belonging. They include poetry and book workshops, examining hidden histories and colonial legacies within South Asia, and creating zines. Her key focus with OSCH is to create a safe and inclusive space for everyone involved, where individuals can make friends and gain opportunities within the creative and heritage sectors.
Tejshvi Jain
Indian Music Experience Museum, Bengaluru, India
I wear two hats. I am the Founder-Director of ReReeti Foundation and Head of Partnerships at Indian Music Experience Museum (IME). In both my roles I strive to make museums a space of learning, delight, and meaningful engagement for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Shahana Khaliq-Lyon has been with Glasgow Museums for 10 years. She is the OSCH Coordinator for Glasgow as well as a Learning and Access Curator based in Kelvingrove Museum.
Jen Keenan, Learning and Access Curator, has worked with Glasgow Museums for over 10 years and is currently working on projects over several of Glasgow Museum venues including the Gallery of Modern Art and Kelvingrove. She is particularly passionate about working with young people and Co-Development projects.
I'm a true-blue Bangalore girl who has lived here for 20 years and I basically spend my Sundays on the hunt for the perfect dosa! I've previously worked in the ed-tech space, taught, as well as completed internships in film/production. I've also been studying French for the last 5 years.
I’m Debangana Kundu and I’m the video content creator at MAP. I have graduated from Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology with a bachelor’s degree in filmmaking. I am passionate about films and I like everything about them; from watching them to making them.
Maya is one of the Manchester Museum OSCH Cultural Learning & Participation Officers. Maya organises the Radical Readers discussion group for young people from diverse backgrounds, supports our Social Action projects, and sits on the Museum Social Justice working group. Maya is interested in increasing representation of young people of colour in heritage spaces. Maya is an ambassador for OSCH and speaks at events about identity, heritage and belonging, ensuring heritage spaces are inclusive to young people, and opening routes to alternative careers for young people.
Sadya Mizan
Uronto Artist Community, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
Sadya Mizan is an independent curator and researcher based in Bangladesh. Her curatorial expertise is in facilitating decentralized platforms to identify, reconnect and archive cultural narratives, reflect contemporary social realities and inspire communities through multidisciplinary artistic expressions.
The Manchester Museum OSCH Young Collective is a group of 16 to 25 year old young people with diverse ethnic backgrounds who are based in Manchester and beyond, and who meet online and in person to organise events, activities and campaigns relevant to their identities and cultures.
Mounika Nallani
MAP, Bengaluru, India
I'm Mounika Nallani – an introverted book nerd from the city of density, Visakhapatnam and now a chemical engineer turned Development Assistant at MAP. I spend my evenings with a book/audiobook or discussing bookish things. I have a blog where I review books and other literature in general.
The youth board is comprised of 25 young people between the age of 18-25 and is based in the Rajshahi district. These young people have different educational backgrounds, different skills, interests and live in different areas. The one thing they have in common is their enthusiasm for their cultural heritage and the passion to do something positive.
Department of Visual Studies, University of Karachi, Pakistan
“Curating youth driven projects for the State Bank Museum with OSCH has been a unique experience for me and challenging yet motivational for my students. I am looking forward to being trained in art conservation and collection care. It will be a great honour to be able to teach a subject that does not exist in our region at the moment.”
I am the board member for the Our Shared Cultural Heritage Programme (OSCH). As part of this project I led on the accelerator fund enabling young people to celebrate south Asian heritage month. Currently we have recruited two apprentices who I am managing.
Shilpa Vijayakrishnan is Head of Education & Outreach at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP). Her work primarily involves building audiences and developing the learning programme. With the support of the wonderful OSCH trainees she mentors and their fresh perspectives, she hopes MAP will produce new avenues for cultural dialogue among young people.
The Youth Advisory Board is a group of young adults (ages 14-17) who work as an advisory council for the IME. They review IME’s activities and make recommendations focusing on audience engagement and public programming. They create interactive events and are building a safe space for everyone. They are ensuring that the museum maintains a youth and community centred strategy in the future.
Mehreen Yousaf
MAP, Bengaluru, India
I am Mehreen – I hail from the charming, coastal city of Kannur. After completing high school, I moved to an equally charming city – Coventry, to pursue my undergraduate degree in Media and Communications. During my time in university, I volunteered and interned with several organisations including AdWeek Europe, Flatpack Film Festival and Coventry University.
Mahreen Zuberi is a visual artist and art educator situated in Karachi, Pakistan. She is the coordinator of the Fine Art program at Karachi University, Department of Visual Studies. Since early 2021 she has played a prominent part in facilitating the OSCH/Karachi University/State Bank Museum partnership seeking to create opportunities for youth to engage with the culture and heritage sectors in the local and international context.
Ish Maini
Un.Divided Identities: Lesser known stories of the Partition
Ish Maini is a lawyer, social activist, a ‘Changemaker’ under the OSCH programme and a history enthusiast. He is currently pursuing master’s in international law at University of Glasgow. He’s also a recipient of the Savitri Jindal Fellowship. He believes in the adage: “Be part of the change you wish to see in society.”
Kartik Ahuja
Un.Divided Identities: Lesser known stories of the Partition
Kartik Ahuja is a music producer, audio engineer, composer, and musician from New Delhi, India. With a keen sense of exploring sound from a young age, Kartik has been involved professionally with these tangents of music and audio. The majority of his work revolves around scoring for films, producing for artists, and other compositional work including audio engineering.
Un.Divided Identities: Lesser known stories of the Partition
Meher Nandrajog is a recent graduate of English Literature from the Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, and plans to continue further study in the field of Literary and Cultural Studies.
Un.Divided Identities: Lesser known stories of the Partition
Nikhita completed her undergraduate degree in Economics and International Development Studies from McGill University in 2021. She is currently a researcher and freelance writer based in Montreal. Her interests are varied, but include urban history and development of South Asian cities, evolution of culinary practices and rummaging through heavy photo books at her nearest library.
Samaawat Aseea Khan
Un.Divided Identities: Lesser known stories of the Partition
Hi, I’m Samaawat. I’m a Scottish-Bangladeshi person currently doing my undergraduate degree in Computer Science at Strathclyde University. I do commissioned art in my free time, and my interests include writing and performing music, voice acting and games development.
Pivari
Un.Divided Identities: Lesser known stories of the Partition
Pivari is a 2D animator, motion designer and illustrator with a Masters in animation from Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology. She specializes in frame-by-frame digital animation and has experience in stop motion animation as well.
Un.Divided Identities: Lesser known stories of the Partition
Malini Chakrabarty is an interdisciplinary artist and media researcher at the University of Stirling. A former investigative journalist in India uncovering a $4 million scam, she moved to Glasgow to study filmmaking and media arts from the University of Glasgow.
Shafia Fiaz
OSCH Social Media Coordinator
Hi, I’m Shafia – a curious girl, interested in art and Anime who has become a Social Media Coordinator for OSCH and Digital Producer for Manchester Museum. My involvement with OSCH has allowed me to explore my identity and gain confidence – and I can finally share my knowledge through my work on social media. Coming from a South Asian background and from a Pakistani heritage I know the importance of this project, it ensures that our history and our stories are being told and this is something to celebrate and commemorate.
Bhanu Ghalot
Exhibition Project lead, Un.Divided Identities: Lesser known stories of the Partition
Bhanu is a cultural practitioner and historical researcher based in Delhi, India. She was awarded the Chevening scholarship in 2019 to undertake a master's degree at the School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester. Prior to that, she spent four years researching and documenting India’s contribution in World War One.