Call out for host for a Creative Fellow 2026-2027

Expressions of interest are invited to host one of two Arts and Culture Creative Fellowships 2026-2027. Applications are open to Exeter-based academic and professional services staff. Fellowships can be hosted by a department, centre, institute, network, etc. Deadline for submission of expressions of interest is Sunday 18 October 2026.

The University’s Arts and Culture Strategy promotes the belief that “great ideas come from playing with possibilities”.

Arts and Culture Creative Fellowships are an important mechanism for putting this belief into practice, offering creative practitioners the opportunity to engage with innovative research and teaching across the University’s faculties and campuses. We are delivering one Creative Fellowship this year, based in Exeter, with the host to be selected in October 2026 with a view to the Creative Fellowship taking place between January 2027 and July 2027.

Expressions of interest to host a Creative Fellowship 2026-2027 are open to Exeter-based academic and professional services staff. Fellowships can be hosted in a department, centre, institute, network, etc.

Please note Creative Fellows should:

• Have wider impact than a single discipline, promoting interdisciplinary working.

• Work outside the discipline or subject specialism of the host (for example, we wouldn’t look to match a poet within a poetry research project).

• Not be part of an existing collaboration. This is an invitation to new ways of working.

The Fellowship will be open to practitioners of any artform (including visual, digital, sound and performing arts, film, literature, music, design and craft) with an interest in the research/host context. Rather than being a ‘residency’ or commission, where an artist is expected to work towards a pre-agreed output, these opportunities are described as placements, where the cultural practitioner is a peer.

The Fellowships are not about finding artists to illustrate or disseminate existing research. We are seeking to develop more collaborative and creative relationships, and explore how different fields of expertise and practice can successfully interact for mutual benefit. We are interested in the creative process of practitioners from different fields of expertise coming together.

The total fee for each Creative Fellow commissioned will be £6,000; funded by Arts and Culture. Additional funds will be available to support relevant dissemination events within the 2026-27 academic year.

A short film will be made about the fellowship. The host will be asked to participate in the film.

Application Process

To apply to host an Arts and Culture Creative Fellow in 2026-27, please submit an expression of interest which includes a short description of:

• The context in which a Creative Fellow would work

• How this will support your research, teaching or University of Exeter activity

• The key contacts a Creative Fellow would engage with

• Any space or other resources that would be available to them

• Key timescales (the 4-5 week allocation, starting in January 2027, can be spread over a longer period – when in the year would be most suitable to host?).

• Consideration of potential outcomes and legacy for the project.

Please complete your Expression of Interest using this form by Sunday 18 October 2026.

If you have questions or problems completing the form, please contact Naome Glanville at n.r.glanville@exeter.ac.uk.

The Creative Fellowship host will be selected by the Arts and Culture team.

A decision based on your expression of interest will be made in week commencing 19 October 2026. All expressions of interest will receive a response regarding the outcome.

Criteria for selection

1. Process Driven
Genuine interest in working in an open-ended way, curious to step outside comfort zone and explore new approaches, interested in sharing practice and learning new ways of working.

2. Creative Potential.
Interesting and engaging, rich ideas and lots of creative potential for artists to get their teeth into, moving beyond an expectation of artistic contribution as purely a communication tool.

3. Dissemination Potential
Reach beyond the host and Creative Fellow – for example, working with students, embedding in modules, holding public-facing events, participating in festivals.

4. Links with broader University of Exeter priorities
Addresses at least one of the Strategy 2030 themes – Health & Wellbeing, Social Justice, Climate & Environment. Champions Equality Diversity and Inclusion.

5. Location
Hosting for the Fellowship will be based in Exeter (Streatham /St Luke’s).

6. Time Sensitivities
Some projects might be tied to funding or events and wouldn’t be possible at another time. Some can happen later or through alternative channels.

Availability of hosts for recruiting Creative Fellows

Please note that if you are successful in becoming a host for a Creative Fellow, you will need to make time in your diary for recruiting your Creative Fellow as follows:

• Week Commencing 16 November: Shortlisting applications

• Week Commencing 30 November: Interviewing shortlisted applicants

The selected host will have the support of the Arts and Culture team to develop a brief and advertise/select a creative practitioner.

Further information

If you would like to meet a member of the Arts and Culture team to discuss your Expression Of Interest, there will be two ‘find out more’ sessions available:

• Wednesday 7 October, 2.00 - 3.00pm
• Monday 12 October , 3.00 – 4.00pm

Please contact Naome Glanville, Arts and Culture Co-ordinator, if you’d like the Microsoft Teams link to either of these sessions. n.r.glanville@exeter.ac.uk

Previous Creative Fellowships

Get inspired by some of our previous Creative Fellowship collaborations.