In Conversation with John Lyons and Dr Carol Brown-Leonardi

John Lyons came to the United Kingdom to study art at the age of twenty-five at Goldsmiths University of London. In 1964 he gained his National Diploma of Design and in 1965 he achieved the Art Teacher’s Diploma at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. John Lyons worked as an arts teacher for nine years and this was followed by a seventeen-year career as an art lecturer. John Lyons is a celebrated painter and poet, whose work is inspired by Trinidadian myths, folklore, and Carnival. His paintings have been exhibited across the country, with works held permanently in the Arts Council Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum among others. His published work includes collections of poetry and literature notably ‘Cook-Up in a Trini Kitchen’. In 2003 Mr John Lyons was awarded the Windrush Arts Achievement Award for his contributions to the arts.

Dr Carol Brown-Leonardi is the Founder and Chair of the African Caribbean Research Group (ACRG), a non-profit organisation which helps people struggling with isolation in Cambridge City and Cambridgeshire. The organisation also provides a link between the United Kingdom, the Caribbean and various countries around the world. The ACRG functions to promote cultural exchange through documenting cultural, historical, and contemporary narratives about all aspects of social life. The initiative works with Cambridge city and the Caribbean nations to bring benefits to these communities. Recently, Carol researched the lives of the Cambridge Windrush generation and worked in partnership with the Museum of Cambridge to create the community led project, the Legacies of the Windrush Generation Exhibition.

Carol is also an Associate lecturer and researcher in the Department of Geography (FASS) and Global Studies at the Open University. She has conducted research on Olaudah Equiano’s life in Cambridge and his contribution to the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, including research for the Renaming the Bridge Project, which resulted in the naming of the Equiano Bridge. This project revealed fascinating insights into the social and working relationships between 18^th century free Black men in England and English scholars, and clergymen. The significance of this is their active involvement or connection with the transatlantic slave trade and enslavers. Previous work related to black history focused on Ordinary and Prominent Black People in Victorian Britain as well as the Moors Black Presence in the United Kingdom Before and During the Tudor Period. Carol’s goal is to inspire the academic and public community to increase their knowledge and explore past historical events that are related to British heritage.