Rose Sharp obituary

This is a tribute to Rose Sharp, who has died at the age of 74. Rose was a dedicated arts administrator who spent her career supporting artists and cultural organisations. She worked hard to fight sexism and to increase the visibility of LGBT people in the arts.

Born in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire, Rose moved around a lot as a child. Her father was a major in the Royal Engineers, so the family lived in Singapore, Berlin, and Northern Ireland.

In her early career, in the 1970s, Rose gained experience in planning and organisation while working as a roadie for the band the Pink Fairies. She later worked at Dingwalls, a music venue in London.

Rose then moved into arts administration in the mid-1970s, working at the Bloomsbury theatre and the Gay Sweatshop company. From the early 1980s until 2009, she held important administrative roles at several organisations, including the Drill Hall arts centre, the Monstrous Regiment company, and the International Workshop festival. She also worked for the Deal Theatre Project and helped organise many productions funded by the Greater London council. She was also an independent agent for performers.

Rose was known for her strong attention to detail and her firm belief that publicly funded organisations should support all kinds of art, even work that was unusual or experimental. When she was determined to get funding for a project, she was very persistent. Her colleagues knew that when Rose said something was done and dusted, it meant everything possible had been done to complete it.

From 2006 until the early 2020s, Rose worked at Queen Mary University of London. She shared her skills by mentoring students and helping artists who were working at the university. Towards the end of her career, she was the administrator for the artist Bobby Baker. Over more than 45 years, Rose played a crucial role behind the scenes, helping many artists and producers achieve their goals.

Rose was a proud lesbian feminist. She loved life and enjoyed searching for the perfect lemon drizzle cake. She made many deep friendships and was a unique and unforgettable person.

She is survived by her sister, Valerie, and her nieces, Melanie and Joanne.