UAL’s Sonia Boyce and Claire Swift awarded Damehood and OBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours List

Sonia Boyce OBE RA, Professor at University of the Arts London (UAL) and inaugural Chair in Black Art and Design, has been awarded a damehood for Services to Art in the Kings New Year’s honours list. Claire Swift, Director of Social Responsibility at London College of Fashion (LCF), has been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for Services to the Rehabilitation of Prisoners – recognising her and her team’s pioneering efforts in using fashion as a force for positive change.

Professor Sonia Boyce’s work has been recognised in the UK and across the world. In 2016, she became a Royal Academician and was honoured with a Paul Hamlyn Artist Award. Her academic journey includes roles such as Professor of Fine Art at Middlesex University from 2012 to 2017, and since 2014, holding the position of Professor at UAL. Between 2008-2011, she completed an AHRC Research Fellowship at Wimbledon College of Arts.

As the inaugural Chair of Black Art & Design at UAL, she led on a 3-year research project investigating Black Artists & Modernism. This work resulted in the BBC documentary "Whoever Heard of a Black Artist? Britain’s Hidden Art History" in 2018. Notable solo exhibitions, including "In the Castle of My Skin" and "Sonia Boyce: We move in her way," have garnered widespread acclaim.

Her impact extends globally, marked by her inclusion in the 56th International Art of La Biennale di Venezia "All the World’s Futures" in 2015, curated by Okwui Enwezor. In 2022 she represented the British Pavilion with her exhibition Feeling Her Way; becoming the first Black woman to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale. For her contribution, she was awarded the Golden-Lion prize for ‘Best National Participation’.

Professor Boyce's work is held in collections including Tate, Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Council Collection. In recognition of her artistic contributions, she received an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List in 2019 and holds three honorary doctorates from the Royal College of Art (2019), the Courtauld Institute of Art and Birmingham City University (2023), and an honorary fellowship from Norwich University of Arts (2022).

Claire Swift's, whose career is deeply rooted in her commitment to social justice, took on the role of Director in 2014 and she and her team have pioneered "Making for Change", established in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice in 2014. This project brought a fully equipped fashion training and manufacturing unit to a women's prison, aiming to enhance well-being and reduce reoffending rates by providing participants with professional skills and qualifications in a supportive environment. Making for Change was also recently recognised through the Queen’s Anniversary Prize. Making for Change is part of LCF’s Portal Centre for Social Impact and is supported by the Portal Trust.

Her journey at LCF began in 1999, where she held various leadership roles, including Pathway Leader, Course Director, and Programme Director for Womenswear. It was during her tenure that a colleague introduced her to a transformative project involving a women's prison in London, marking a turning point in her career.

Claire Swift's philosophy, encapsulated in the belief that "fashion is unstoppable in its power to shape people's lives," has been the driving force behind several groundbreaking projects under LCF's Better Lives agenda.

Other initiatives include "Processions" project, conducted in collaboration with Historic England and artist and colleague Professor Lucy Orta, with LCF staff and students, along with inmates at HMP Downview women's prison, created seven banner art-pieces as part of Artichoke's nationwide mass-participation art project. This initiative commemorated the Centenary of the Representation of the People's Act, empowering women to share their stories through art in processions across London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Belfast.

The "Conscious Contemporary Tailoring" project, supported by the Zegna Foundation, showcased Claire's ability to bring communities together. This initiative involved collaboration between the women of the weaving department at San Patrignano, participants in LCF's Making for Change project, and BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Menswear students. By engaging communities in transformative learning experiences, Claire continues to redefine the role of fashion in society.