ABOUT US

About Programme Northumbria

Welcome to Programme Northumbria, the new public cultural programme from Northumbria University’s School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries. We are an outward-facing creative hub, designed to connect the research and talent within our university to the wider community in Newcastle, the North East, and beyond.

An Arts Centre Without Walls

We are more than a single venue— we are a connected cultural experience that moves across our campus and out into the world. We bring together exhibitions, performances, events and talks in a collection of vibrant spaces—including Gallery North, Design North, and our newly refurbished studio theatre, Studio 27. These spaces are active intersections where teaching meets professional practice, and where artistic research meets civic discourse.

What We Do

Programme Northumbria opens a window into the pioneering creative research undertaken at Northumbria University. We believe in sharing the ideas and investigations that fuel contemporary practice, turning research into public experiences that engage, connect, challenge, and inspire.

We are committed to supporting creativity at every stage and to celebrating the cultural expression produced in and by our diverse communities. Our programme showcases research-driven projects undertaken across a broad range of creative fields by established academics, early-career artists, under-represented voices and talented students. Featured work spans global visual cultures, digital and material innovation, film and moving image, writing and performance, socially engaged art and design, and artistic practices that respond to our changing environmental realities. This research demonstrates the power of culture and creativity to examine and shape contemporary life.

We embrace experimental thinking, hosting pop-up events and exhibitions that allow new ideas to be tested in real time with an audience, and we highlight the significant public-facing work our academics we create off-campus. Each exhibition and event is thoughtfully integrated, often tying directly into the curriculum to create a living extension of the classroom. By collaborating with cultural partners across the region and beyond, we ensure our programme is a dynamic part of a much larger creative conversation.

At its heart, Programme Northumbria aims to be a springboard for dialogue—a welcoming place where everyone can explore how creativity helps us understand and reimagine respond to the world around us.