Culture and Creative Arts
Leading creative responses to the world we live in.
Innovative and interdisciplinary
Our work in creative practice is world-renowned. Our colleagues are at the forefront of practice in their fields of:
- poetry
- folk and traditional music
- fine art
- heritage
We have a strong track record in innovative interdisciplinary working across sectors. Much of our work is co-produced with partners. Our influence is regional, national and international.
Home to prize winners
We are home to TS Eliot prize winners and the national poet laureate for Scotland, The Scots Makar. Our artists include Turner Prize nominees. Our musicians have BBC awards. We are also proud to host a UNESCO Chair of Cultural Property Protection and Peace.
Our Education for Life strategy aims to provide an outstanding educational experience. One that's rooted in strong disciplines and enhanced by a broad range of activities. In Culture and Creative Arts, our efforts include:
Fine Art
Our LifeWorkArt programme is an award-winning professional development scheme. It's for BA Fine Art undergraduates. It reflects our strength in practice-led research. Our students develop skills through live projects, such as:
- exhibitions
- placements
- public art
- collaborations
- education and community projects
- art therapy
- residencies
Find out more about LifeWorkArt
Music
We partner with world-class cultural venues. Our Folk & Traditional Music students are integral to Folkworks. This programme is delivered at the Sage Gateshead.
Architecture
We partner with the Kielder Art & Architecture programme to form 'Testing Ground'. It is a one-of-a-kind project that sees architecture students design and build infrastructure. Thirteen projects have been completed so far. Each project complements the community, tourist and International Dark Sky Park aspects of Kielder.
Find out more about Live Build Projects
Case studies
View our University’s collection of innovative teaching case studies
Our campus and region provide great opportunities for practice-led research. This includes:
- World Heritage Site – Hadrian’s Wall - and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- partnerships with leading urban and rural arts venues, and arts and heritage organisations
- an international network of writers and poets (including Newcastle Poetry Festival)
- on-campus galleries, museums and award-winning libraries/archives
- research institutes and centres focused on heritage and arts practice
- world-leading facilities for making work and on-site studios
We are also developing an “urban room” and archive with the support of internationally-acclaimed architect, Sir Terry Farrell.
As well as our strong regional and national work, our research in heritage and creative practice draws together visual artists, art professionals, arts and heritage organisations, funders, policy makers, academics and other stakeholders from across Europe, North America and East Africa.
Research Centres
Our Research Centres and Institutes are key enablers of our research, including:
- Centre for Data
- Centre for Cities
- Centre for Energy
- Centre for Heritage
- Institute for Creative Arts Practice
- Humanities Research Institute
We work with all three of our National Innovation Centres: Ageing, Data and Rural Enterprise.
- TS Eliot prize winners: Jacob Polley, Sean O’Brien and Sinead Morrisey
- University Chancellor, poet Imtiaz Dharker
- Artists: Jane Wilson, Louise Wilson, Henry Coombes, Prof Andrew Burton, Professor Catrin Huber, Professor Wolfgang Weileder
- Folk and Traditional musicians: Catriona Macdonald, Emily Portman, Simon McKerrell and Kathryn Tickell OBE
- Prof Chris Whitehead – lead for our Centre for Heritage
- Prof Peter Stone – UNESCO Chair for Cultural Property Protection & Peace
- International academic partners including Chicago Institute for the Arts, Yale School of Arts, University of Victoria, Pittsburgh University, the British School in Rome, and University of Bergen
- International partners including The Lannan Foundation: a family foundation dedicated to cultural freedom, diversity and creativity through projects which support exceptional contemporary artists and writers, as well as inspired Native activists in rural indigenous communities; and we have realised major Fine Art commissions in World Heritage Sites including Pompeii and Herculaneum
- International networks of heritage researchers and partners e.g. CoHere
- Specialist agencies including UNESCO: since 2016 we have held a UNESCO Chair for Cultural Property Protection & Peace. The Chair was renewed in 2019
- National arts and heritage organisations including the Tate, National Gallery, National Trust, Arts Council England, and English Heritage
- Policy influencing bodies including the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre
- Regional partners including Seven Stories – the National Centre for Children’s Books, the NewBridge Project, Northern Stage, SageGateshead
- Regional strategic bodies including the North East Culture Partnership and Culture Forum North
- Other Russell Group Universities. We convene the Russell Group Culture Network
- Other Regional Universities e.g. Creative Fuse North East: a multisector consortium to catalyse growth through innovation in the cultural, digital and IT sectors