Gerda at the Arts & Media helm

Professor Gerda Roper is the new Dean of the University of Teesside’s School of Arts & Media.  She will oversee a diverse portfolio of courses and research, including Art and Design, English Studies, Education, History and Media.

Gerda said:  “I am looking forward to working with everybody at Teesside, and to hearing about their ambitions for the School of Arts & Media.  There is a lot of really exciting work going on in the School and the University and I would like to see that it continues to flourish and develop.” 

Gerda grew up in Wales and now lives in Newcastle.   She studied Fine Art at Exeter, followed by a Masters degree from the University of Reading. 

Following her Masters degree, Gerda returned to Wales in 1975, to take up her first post as a lecturer in Fine Art at Newport College of Art.  In 1984 she re-located to the North-East, joining the then Newcastle Polytechnic, now the University of Northumbria.  Her first  role there was Deputy Course Leader for the Masters degree in Fine Art.  She moved to Sunderland Polytechnic in 1990 as Head of Painting, and later returned to Northumbria as Head of Fine Art. 

Gerda progressed to Head of the School of Art, and then to Associate Dean for Research in the School of Arts & Social Sciences.  She was awarded a Professorship from Northumbria in 1994.        Gerda added: “I’m thrilled at the plans for Art and Design at Teesside and the cultural agenda for Middlesbrough, including the exciting Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art.”

Away from work, Gerda’s partner is the London- based artist Basil Beattie. She also spends time with her family and friends, paints when time allows, and enjoys walking, reading, going to galleries and the theatre.

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