Jessica Rost is a Director and Co Founder of Festive Road, Jessica is a project coordinator, producer and Fundraiser. Most importantly she is a sculptor and performance artist. She writes stories, keeps chickens and grows her own veg.

Video Work above: Beasty (2006) - A short film that explores darkest fears & embraces the inner beast.


COMMUNITY ARTIST

Jessica has undertaken public commissions and worked with a huge range of groups and in collaboration with many different organisations. The work she has undertaken includes: painting murals, junk modelling, making banners, building large scale permanent sculpture and installations, making short films and stop frame animations, creating environmental features, willow sculpture, giant lanterns, creating large carnival costumes, running a variety of workshops programmes and organising community festivals and events. This work has been in partnership with Schools, Galleries, Community centres, youth groups, local councils and other arts, community and public organisations.

CARNIVAL ARTS

Since 2000 Jessica has been working as a carnival leader, director and manager, working with schools and community groups, organising workshops, creating costumes and structures for many carnival projects and other arts projects. She has travelled to Trinidad and Venice carnival. In 2005 she co-founded Festive Road, a Community interest company, of which she is a director, fundraiser and company secretary. Jessica secured a two year development grant from Arts Council England and has been a very successful fundraiser for Festive Road projects since. The company delivers creative arts experiences, commissioned public art pieces, community workshops and celebratory events and parades in the Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Northampton area. Festive Road is part of MK Arts & Heritage Alliance, Carnival Network South East and has won awards for performances at Luton, South end, Brighton, Northampton and on Isle of Wight. Festive Roads project Brewing Up has recently been given the London 2012 Inspire Mark.

VOLUNTARY WORK & OTHER INTERESTS

Jessica has been an active member of The Silbury Group of Artists, Westbury studios (now called FringeMK@Westbury) since 1993 and has had a studio at Westbury Farm, in Milton Keynes since 1995. She has helped organise group exhibitions, a leasing scheme, international exchanges, workshops, master classes, written newsletters and helped with the day to day running of the studios. Since 2003 Jessica has been running a weekly Art Club for children in her local primary School where she is a governor and has been organising an annual Lantern Parade for Yardley Hastings since 2005. Recently Jessica has been organising a charity Bangladeshi children's art exhibition to raise funds for an art school in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Jessica is also a trustee for Milton Keynes Play Association, an active member of MK Arts & Heritage Alliance and has been a Grants adviser for Milton Keynes Community Foundation. When she is not creating works of art, teaching art or helping to run artist led initiatives, Jessica enjoys walking, skiing, writing, a glass or two of wine and being in the garden. She keeps chickens and has an allotment where she grows her own produce.

WORK IN EDUCATION

Jessica has been working as a Creative Agent and a practitioner for UK Centre for Carnival Arts in Luton and also as a lead artist for various 'change school' in Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire. She has been a lead artist for a re-generation project in Reading and has undertaken various creative partnership projects and commissions in Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire. Jessica was a lecturer of Fine Art and Sculpture at Milton Keynes College from 1999 to 2001. She taught students on ABC Foundation and G.N.V.Q. She has worked with a whole range of students on various courses and initiatives for organisations regionally including: Festive Road, Adult Continuing Education, Milton Keynes Orchestra, Behaviour & Educational Support Team, Sure Start, Stantonbury Campus, Interaction and MK Gallery, university of Bath and many others.