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Who We Are

The Rumpus Room studio in Govanhill was started by artists Nadia Rossi & Angel Walker in 2019 and is led by a core group of artists, organisers and young people.

The studio has a Young Artists Committee and currently around 50 young people who are a part of the wider studio community aged 8-25 yrs.

Rumpus Room works in collaboration with local artists, activists, grassroots projects and organisations and is supported by an advisory board of arts & cultural workers.

Rumpus Room core team work 2 days a week at the studio.

For general enquires you can email rumpusroomteam@gmail.com or have a look below and find someone who can help you out with something specific at the studio.

Studio Team

Angel Walker

Contact: angel@rumpus-room.org

Angel (they/them) is a co-founder of Rumpus Room. They make art and gardens. With a background as an artist, community organiser and play worker, they love to work with young people on collaborative arts & social action projects. They particularly love to work with young LGBTQI+ people and those who face barriers to accessing mainstream education.

Get in touch with Angel to discuss the programme, possible collaborations, anything relating to the studio’s garden or their role as Equalities, Diversity & Inclusion Lead at Rumpus Room.

Nadia Rossi

Contact: nadia@rumpus-room.org

Nadia (she/her) is an artist and co-founder of Rumpus Room. Nadia makes art in collaboration with people and place, using play and performance as tools for social and political reimagining. She is one half of the artist duo Pester & Rossi. Nadia is interested in how we can facilitate shared spaces out with formal education settings for mutual learning, art making and collective action. 

Get in touch with Nadia to discuss the studio programme, possible collaborations, Romp Around early years play group, or anything relating to their role as Fair Work Lead at Rumpus Room.

Ardis Önnerfors

Contact: ardis@rumpus-room.org

Ardis (they/them) originally got involved with Rumpus Room as a young person, and now works with supporting our studio programme in various ways. They love facilitating opportunities for people to learn from and with each other, often centred around food, textiles and language.

Get in touch with Ardis for inquiries about hiring the studio (check RR’s fair rates hire info here), local community matters, eating the garden or anything relating to their role as Environmental Sustainability Lead at Rumpus Room. 

Jo Helfer

Contact: purse@rumpus-room.org

Jo (she/her) is an artist and community organiser with a background in youth work and artist led spaces. She cares about ethical structures and systems that support people to thrive, and channels her love of spreadsheets to support small organisations, charities and community groups with finance and fundraising. Jo is the Ethical Finance & Fundraising Worker at Rumpus Room.

Saffa Khan

Contact: saffa@rumpus-room.org

Saffa (they/she) is a designer and printmaker, who previously ran Tender Hands Press. Saffa enjoys exploring accessible design, collecting natural matter and immortalising moments into tangible objects out of clay, paper and metal alloys. Saffa works as the in-house Print Technician at Rumpus Room.

Leo Valenti

Contact: leo@rumpus-room.org

Leo (he/him) is a queer participatory artist. His work involves using craftivism and DIY ethos to encourage discussion around mental health, environmental and social justice and LGBTQIA+ identities.

Leo is currently studying Community Development at University of Glasgow, and established and runs the Rumpus Queer Makers as part of his placement. The group is made up of LGBTQIA+ young people aged 12-18 who come together weekly to create art and socialise at Rumpus Room.

Young Artists Studio Committee: 2023-24 Cohort

Spread from the committee’s newsletter The Bean Sprout Xpress introducing committee members: Arabella Carmona, Ines Cavaco, Evie Jordan, Jules Hunter, Tunvii Khurana, Mariam Chaudhry, Julia Darrouy, Deena Khan and Chanderkiran Thakur .

Young Artists Studio Committee: 2022-23 Cohort

From left to right: Mathilde N’Doye, Zoë Hyatt, Kiki Zheng, Ines Cavaco, Mariam Chaudhry, Arabella Carmona, Julia Darrouy and Deena Khan.

Past Studio Team Members

Camilla Crosta has worked on projects at the studio that used food as a political tool and a way to bring together and celebrate stories & heritage. She collaborated with people with lived experiences of migration and displacement. You can find one of Camilla’s projects ‘Adapt & Act: Issue 2 – Becoming A Food Citizen’ here.

Emma McIntyre worked to support Rumpus through COVID and beyond supporting with project administration, finance, fundraising, and assisting with the delivery of projects: Mutual Playing Ground and Yard School working with children & young people at the studio.

Rosie Coleman Collier worked with Rumpus in 2023 on a placement from the MLitt Curatorial Practice course at GSA. Rosie worked with the studio team to develop a framework for Rumpus to consider ethical and caring practices in relation to student placements. You can find Rosie’s zine ‘Cultivating Interdependence; a guide to ethical work placements at Rumpus Room’ here.

Tarka Heath worked with Rumpus in 2022 on a placement from the Adult Education, Community Learning and Development and Youth Work course at Glasgow University. Tarka supported the delivery of Open Studio sessions at the studio alongside the You Drop, You Sow, You Gather project. Tarka also hosted the Young Feminists Book Club working with young people and the studio library.

Dylan Beck worked with Rumpus in 2021 on a placement from the Masters in Adult Education, Community Development & Youth Work at Glasgow University. Dylan worked on climate justice projects, supporting The Beings project and developing workshops with young people in lead up to COP26 at Rumpus Room.

Sam Harley worked with Rumpus in 2021 on a placement from the MLitt Curatorial Practice course at GSA. Sam explored and questioned Rumpus’s approach to accessibility alongside supporting the delivery of Actions for Fare & Care project and collating resources focused on inclusion in the arts, connecting to Sam’s practice and interests, with a focus on working with young disabled artists.

Artist Collaborations

Rumpus Room collaborators with, and supports a wide and varied group of brilliant artists and activists in different ways; creating projects together at the studio and in other places. This list is always growing. We welcome people to get in touch if they have an idea they’d like to share.

Tanvir Alim, Alaya Ang, Emelia Beale, Ragini Chawla, Holly White, HUSS, Hussein Mitha, Leah Miller-Biot, Lily Garget, Laura Glennie, Lucy Grainge, Maya-Rose Edwards, Maya Uppal, Morven Mulgrew, Max Alexander/Play Radical, Rebecca Livesey-Wright, Rosemaire Gear, Saffa Khan.

Advisory Board

Anthony Shrag, Debi Banerjee, Catrin Jeans, Colin Morrison, Gabby Clunness, Jamie Bolland, Margaret McCormick and Usma Ashraf.