About us
Our mission is to champion creativity by providing the time, space and opportunities needed for creative and interdisciplinary collaborations to flourish. Whether you’re a student, staff member, researcher, lecturer, artist, work within a cultural organisation, or are just plain curious, discover more about how best we could support you.
Download our 2022-2027 strategy
Download our latest Annual Report
Annual Report accessible version
University of Exeter
exeter.ac.uk
What we do, why we do it, who we work with

We are fascinated by the creative process and better understanding how it works. We believe that a greater understanding of creativity will help people tap into their own creative potential and expand their sense of what is possible.

Our work spans the University’s four campuses and the surrounding communities in Devon and Cornwall. We work with the University’s community of staff and students, as well as creative practitioners, and South West cultural organisations to help strengthen creative networks, raise the profile of creativity at the University and foster interdisciplinary collaborations.

We do this in the following ways:

  • Lead creative projects with artists, staff, students and partners to create new artwork and share it with the public.
  • Bridge the university and cultural and creative communities. We do this by making introductions between staff and creative practitioners, participating in joint projects, and listening to/advocating for both.
  • Offer guidance around arts and culture, and signposting people to what or who they need.
  • Deliver workshops and training for students and staff on creativity and design processes.
  • Care for the Fine Art Collection, including online access, display on the campuses, and loans off-site.
How we can help you

Want to collaborate with us?

  • We run an annual programme of Creative Fellowships and an Arts Commission. These projects may be of interest to both creative practitioners and researchers/academics within the University. The callouts for both of these can vary annually so we advise joining our mailing list or following us on social media for the latest information.

  • We’ve also offered support to other projects, events and creative collaborations outside the University. We’ve previously partnered with cultural organisations such as the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery (Exeter), Thelma Hulbert Gallery (Honiton), Studio KIND (Braunton), CAST (Helston) as well as individual artists, writers, composers, poets, makers and choreographers.

Looking for a collaborator?

  • Bringing people together is what we do best. If you’re a researcher, academic or student looking to work with a creative practitioner, or an artist exploring a particular area and looking to take inspiration from the research happening at the University, then get in touch, we’re very good at making introductions.

  • Our resources section is also a great way to explore the different networks, research centres and creative and/or interdisciplinary projects already taking place at the University.

Want to promote your work?

  • If you’re a University of Exeter student, staff member, graduate, creative practitioner, cultural organisation or producer working in arts and culture in Devon and Cornwall and have an event or project that you’d like us to publicise we have a number of different ways we can help promote and champion your work within the University and to our external audiences.

  • You can download our Communications and Marketing Support document here.

  • We’re particularly interested in work that relates to the University of Exeter’s Strategy 2030 themes of climate and environment, health and well-being and social justice.

Need some advice?

  • If you’re working on a creative event on one of the University’s campuses and would like some advice around planning, budgeting, reaching your audiences, or to find out who you need to speak to in order to make it happen then get in touch. We can help point you in the right direction.

Looking for inspiration?

  • From a stunning audio collection of poetry exploring the world of insects, to online exhibitions curated by students, our ‘Explore’ section is full of wondrous creativity.

  • We also take care of over 2,000 items which make up the University of Exeter’s Fine Art Collection. If you have a query about one of the sculptures or paintings in the collection or would like to find out more about the collection get in touch. We also write a monthly blog on these items which is well worth a read. You can view the full series here.

Want to know more about our previous collaborations?

  • Our annual reports are a great way to explore and discover all the things we work on within an academic year. You can read them here.
Sarah Campbell
Associate Director for Arts and Culture
01392 724772
S.E.Campbell2@exeter.ac.uk
I have a background in museum and gallery learning with a particular focus on creativity and the creative process. My role is to steer and guide the delivery of the Arts and Culture strategy. This involves lots of great conversations with fascinating people – both inside and outside the university – quite a bit of planning and writing, many meetings, and occasional workshop delivery. There is so much amazing creative activity happening here and I want to share it as far and wide as possible.
Naome Glanville
Arts and Culture Coordinator
01392 725879
N.R.Glanville@exeter.ac.uk
I am Arts and Culture Co-ordinator at the University. I look after the University’s fine art collection, organise art exhibitions, events and activities. I also liaise with artists, conservators and academics as well as other professional staff around the University to help achieve the objectives of the Arts and Culture Strategy. My working days are Monday-Thursday.
Anna Bunt
Communications and Engagement Lead
01392 727 656
A.J.Bunt@exeter.ac.uk
From events to festivals and commissions to fellowships, there’s a whole host of exciting work happening across our campuses. It’s my job to playfully communicate these innovative and inspired stories of creative discovery to our many audiences, using an engaging mixture of social media, digital marketing, new media and PR. I'm also responsible for raising our profile both internally at the University, and externally to the local community and further afield. My working days are Tuesday to Thursday.
Dr Lucy Frears
Programme Manager, Cornwall (Maternity Cover until January 2025)
l.frears@exeter.ac.uk
I am a lecturer and researcher at Falmouth University that shares Penryn Campus with University of Exeter Cornwall. The focus of my Arts and Culture role is providing the opportunities, support and conditions for staff and students from these two distinctive universities to collaborate and create work together in a way that enriches them and our campus and local community. Our 'learn from a bird' exhibition, July ’24, showcases our diverse work. My research focusses on increasing equity, diversity and inclusion in the arts sector and ICH and I make sound pieces for exhibition. I am based at the Penryn Campus and my working days are Monday-Wednesday.
Annie Sheen
Programme Manager, Cornwall (on maternity leave until January 2025)
A.Sheen@exeter.ac.uk
I have a background in community and participatory art management. My aim is to support the staff and students here to think about how arts and culture can help them to both innovate and communicate their work. I am passionate about supporting the development of creative confidence, and I look after projects, events, and partnerships which raise the profile of creative activity across our two campus sites in Truro and Penryn. I also lead Kana Tremough! the Penryn campus staff singing group. My working days are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Gemma Stuart
Arts and Culture Administrator
g.stuart4@exeter.ac.uk
Arts and Culture is a dynamic and busy team, and it’s my job to help it run smoothly. It’s a varied and exciting role, and I can find myself working on everything from event logistics and evaluation to finance to collection care. A key part of my job is to stay on top of what everyone is doing and keep an eye out for any support needed.
Vanessa Otim
Arts and Culture Collections Assistant
v.otim@exeter.ac.uk
I am a Visual Artist and currently studying for my MA in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester. In my role, my focus is to preserve the rich history of the University’s collection by enhancing the collection database through detailed research of archival materials, ensuring that information about the artworks' provenance, exhibitions, conservation efforts, and location history is accessible to researchers. My working days are Tuesday and Thursday.
Emma Molony
Project Co-Ordinator, Leeside
e.molony@exeter.ac.uk
I am Project Coordinator for Leeside, a creative collaboration project between Natural England and Arts and Culture. My role is supporting the two art commissions in Devon and Cornwall around protected sites – supporting the artists, participatory communities and stakeholder groups. My background is in printmaking and producing heritage and nature-based participatory projects. My working days are Tuesday and Wednesday.
Dr John Wedgwood Clarke
Academic Director for Arts and Culture (Devon)
j.w.clarke@exeter.ac.uk
I’m a poet and Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing. My career has been shaped by creative collaboration across arts practices and the arts and sciences. My route into academia was via the Professional Acting course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, a PhD in Modernist poetics, and directing an Arts Council-funded organisation. Much of my work explores the way poetry can redraw the boundary between what we value and what we consider worthless. At present, I’m an AHRC Leadership Fellow directing the cross-disciplinary poetry project Red River: Listening to a Polluted River (www.redriverpoetry.com).
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