Culture and
Creative Arts
We are interrogating the past and learning for the future, nurturing arts and culture to positively challenge and change our world.
Focus on creative practice
Arts and creative practice need to be positioned as opportunities for advancing knowledge and enriching experiences, through evidence-based research and pushing the boundaries of disciplines. They can be catalysts for public debate, and powerful storytellers, bringing positive impact to people and places regionally, nationally and globally.
At Newcastle University we produce work that pushes boundaries of disciplines and practices, providing evidence-based research and creative practice to address some of the major challenges facing society today. By interrogating the past, we can understand the world around us, while also protecting cultural richness for future generations.
Global culture and creative arts hold immense potential to advance knowledge, enrich experiences, spark public discourse and tell impactful human-centred stories. Prioritising the understanding and preservation of our global culture is paramount.
We are challenging historical perspectives and enriching the future through arts and culture.
Newcastle University is a centre for culture and creative research
Our award winning writers, artists, cultural, and heritage professionals are creating research that pushes boundaries. They tackle profound global and societal challenges from climate change, to issues of identity.
We are influencing the conditions through which our culture and creative sectors can thrive. We focus on evidence-based research, informing policy from the hyper-local to the global. We believe there is huge potential in the arts for creating space for possibility, risk and experimentation. Our venues are key spaces where this happens. Through our work with partners we are ensuring that our research positively benefits people and places across the globe.
We have a strong history of innovative interdisciplinary working across sectors. Much of our work is co-produced with partners. Our influence is regional, national, and international.
Our cultural partnerships connect our innovative work with the public. We are the home of the Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts. Through this, we contribute to the cultural life of the North East via research, teaching, engagement projects and more. We present and support the best contemporary writers through our NCLA events. We discuss outstanding fiction and non-fiction, script and poetry as well as innovative forms of writing. We curate and share a rich range of archival resources with audiences in Newcastle and beyond.
We are also the home of the Farrell Centre and the Special Collections and Archives. We have strong working connections with local cultural venues such as the Great North Museum: Hancock and the Hatton Gallery. Through our role as lead partner for the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, and our connections with the Northern Creative Corridor – we chart a course towards a richer future enhanced by culture and creative arts.
We co-host the Creative PEC with the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) through our innovative twin-hub model. We’re using our combined expertise and shared vision to bring huge benefits to the UK creative sector.
We’re helping capitalise on the strengths of the creative economy in our region, by adding to the evidence base, addressing sector workforce needs, and fostering engagement through our cultural venues.
Empowering research and practice
Our Newcastle upon Tyne campus and the North East of England provide great opportunities for culture and creative arts research and practice.
From World Heritage Site, Hadrian’s Wall, to captivating Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the region serves as a rich source of inspiration and study. We partner with prominent urban and rural arts venues, as well as arts and heritage organisations. An extensive international network of writers and poets, including participation in the Newcastle Poetry Festival, further enhances our creative community.
Our Newcastle city-centre campus provides galleries, museums, and award-winning collections and archives that benefit staff, students, partners, and the public. Our LIVE in King’s Hall Concerts and INSIGHTS Public Lectures are free and open to everyone. One of our regional partners, Northern Stage, is also based on our campus.
Our facilities include research institutes and centres dedicated to heritage and arts practice. They are complemented by world-leading workspaces and on-site studios. This integrated approach creates an ideal setting for innovative and impactful creative practice.
Cultural venues
Our cultural venues support the cultural richness of Newcastle upon Tyne. They are interdisciplinary research hubs and bridge the gap between our innovative work and the public.
The Great North Museum: Hancock is our museum of natural history, archaeology, geology, and world cultures with university research at its heart.
The Hatton Gallery stages a programme of modern and contemporary art exhibitions and events. It is also a living lab for teaching, research, and contemporary programming. The Gallery is complemented by art across our Newcastle campus.
The Farrell Centre is our newest cultural venue. Its exhibitions, talks, tours and activities for all ages are inspired by architecture and urban design.
Our Special Collections and Archives curate and showcase a distinctive collection of books and archives for university staff, students, researchers and the wider community.
Research centres
Our research centres and institutes are key enablers of our culture and creative arts research, including:
- Centre for Heritage
- Institute for Creative Arts Practice
- Humanities Research Institute
- Centre for Data
- Centre for Researching Cities
We also work with our three National Innovation Centres: Ageing, Data and Rural Enterprise.
Education for life
Our culture and creative arts programmes provide an excellent education experience. We prepare the next generation of creative practitioners for diverse careers in our cultural and creative economy.
Students are able to contribute to a wide range of professions and society through education grounded in disciplines. Our collaboration and work with partners provides distinctive educational experiences.
Students develop skills through:
- placements
- community projects
- residencies
- Live Build experiences
- exhibitions
Examples include:
- our Fine Art students do Life Work Art, an award-winning professional development scheme
- our Architecture students work with communities and stakeholders to implement Live Build projects. They develop practical skills and experience of different modes of design practice
- our Music and Museum Studies students have the opportunity to engage with a range of partners relevant to their interests
View our collection of innovative teaching case studies in:
Everyone should have the opportunity to experience creativity and embark on creative careers. We collaborate with schools and partners through initiatives such as music hubs. We also support graduates and emerging creative and cultural professionals through initiatives such as the NewBridge Project.
Meet some of our researchers and innovators
- Professor Jacob Polley, Professor of Creative Writing; winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize for poetry (2016)
- Emeritus Professor Sean O’Brien, Professor of Creative Writing; winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize (2007), Forward Poetry Prize (2006), Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- Professor Sinead Morrisey, Professor of Creative Writing; winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize (2013), Seamus Heaney Award (2024)
- Dr Tara Bergin, Senior Lecturer in Writing Poetry (Creative Writing); winner of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry Prize (2014) and Michael Hartnett Poetry Award (2024), shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot and Forward Prizes
- Professor Preti Taneja, Professor of World Literature and Creative Writing, FRSL; winner of the Gordon Burn Prize (2022)
- Imtiaz Dharker, University Chancellor, author and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- Artists Professor Jane Wilson, Professor Louise Wilson, Professor Andrew Burton, Professor Catrin Huber, Professor Wolfgang Weileder, Professor Richard Talbot and Rachel McLean
- Catriona Macdonald, Senior Lecturer; musician
- Professor Christopher Whitehead, Interim Pro-Vice Chancellor for Global
- Dr Fiona Whitehurst, Associate Dean of Engagement and Place, Newcastle University Business School
- Professor John Pendlebury, Dr Joanne Sayner, Dr Loes Veldpaus and Dr Katie Markham, Centre for Heritage Directors
- Professor Hasan Bakshi, Director, Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre
- Professor Giorgio Fazio, Professor of Macroeconomics; Research Director, Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre
Who we work with
- performance tutors whose expertise spans numerous musical styles and areas of study work within our creative teaching/performance modules
- international academic partners including Chicago Institute for the Arts, Yale School of Arts, University of Victoria, Pittsburgh University, British International Research Institutes (BIRI), and University of Bergen
- international partners include The Lannan Foundation and we have major Fine Art commissions in World Heritage Sites including Pompeii and Herculaneum
- international networks of heritage researchers and partners including CoHere
- specialist agencies including UNESCO.
- national arts and heritage organisations including the National Trust, National Gallery, Arts Council England, and English Heritage
- policy influencing bodies including the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre
- regional partners including North East Museums, Northern Stage, Opera North, National Trust, NewBridge Project, and The Glasshouse International Centre for Music
- regional strategic bodies including the North East Culture Partnership
- other Russell Group Universities by convening the Russell Group Culture Network
