Northumbria University's School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries has announced the launch of Programme Northumbria – a bold new public programme that will showcase the breadth and excellence of the university's creative research across multiple spaces.
Launching to the public on Friday 23 January, Programme Northumbria is an arts centre with a difference – connecting different locations across Northumbria’s Newcastle campus and beyond through a varied programme of public exhibitions and events.
Running from January through to August 2026, the inaugural programme will feature work from leading academics and alumni, demonstrating how creative practice is pushing boundaries across disciplines from contemporary art and design to performance and digital innovation.
Northumbria’s Gallery North will serve as the main hub for Programme Northumbria, with other locations such as Design North, located in the foyer of the University’s CCE2 building and Studio 27, located within Squires Building, also featuring work as part of the programme.
Steve Gilroy, Associate Professor Theatre and Performance, is leading the new programme and explained: “Programme Northumbria represents an exciting new chapter for creative reseach at Northumbria. By bringing together our diverse range of exhibitions and events under one programme, we're creating a dynamic arts centre without walls – one that's outward-facing, collaborative, and firmly embedded in the North East's thriving cultural landscape.
“We want Programme Northumbria to be a springboard for creative dialogue and collaboration, not just a campus venue. Our ambition is to create meaningful connections between our research community and the wider public, demonstrating how creative practice can illuminate pressing contemporary issues and inspire new ways of thinking.”
Programme Northumbria aims to position Northumbria as an active contributor to the region's arts scene, engaging with local audiences, creative practitioners and cultural partners beyond the university campus.
Northumbria has hosted public exhibitions at Gallery North – the university's dedicated contemporary art space – for many years, and the gallery will remain an anchor venue for Programme Northumbria. However, the programme will also make use of other spaces across campus, as well as further afield thanks to collaborations with regional cultural partners.
Programme Northumbria will launch with an exhibition by Northumbria’s Professor Corin Sworn and film maker Luke Fowler, based around their film On Weaving – an exploration of High Sunderland, the modernist home of textile designer Bernat Klein and his wife, Margaret. Luke Fowler and Corin Sworn will be in discussion with Juliet Kinchin and Paul Stirton, the present owners of High Sunderland about the making of the film, their research in art and design, and custodianship of the site.
The programme will continue throughout the spring and summer with exhibitions exploring diverse contemporary themes. Extraterritorial by Paul Dolan, Daniel Walsh and Pete Howson uses specialist infrared photography to transform space launch sites in the United States and Scotland into alien landscapes, questioning the impact of commercial NewSpace industries on our relationship with planet Earth.
Later in the spring, Fear in the Bedroom will take visitors on an immersive journey through the history of youth horror culture from 1970-2000, recreating a child's bedroom filled with objects, books, magazines and media from this golden age of horror. The exhibition, led by Dr Kate Egan, Professor Stacey Abbott and Dr Simon Brown, challenges perceptions about horror's influence on young people by revealing the diverse meanings the genre has held across generations.
Meanwhile, AI for All by Jayne Wallace and collaborators will demonstrate how diverse perspectives are essential to building ethical and equitable AI systems, connecting visitors with pathways into AI education and careers. The exhibition, created through collaboration between young people, designers, writers and AI experts, acts as a series of creative provocations about who shapes AI technology and whose voices are heard in its development.
Justin Marshall's Hand Thought explores the intersection of craft and digital technology, investigating how CNC (Computer Numerical Control) technologies can be approached through a craft-oriented lens that prioritises sensitivity and uniqueness over efficiency and automation.
The full upcoming programme is as follows:
19 Jan – 9 Feb: On Weaving by Corin Sworn and Luke Fowler. Gallery North.
16 Feb – 9 March: AI for All by Jayne Wallace et al. Design North.
23 Feb – 16 March: Extraterritorial by Paul Dolan, Daniel Walsh, Pete Howson. Gallery North.
13 April – 4 May: Design Feminisms – Open Studios at The Late Shows. Design North
20 April – 11 May: What Are Words Worth...2U? by Matthew Hearn et al. Gallery North and Studio 27.
18 May – 8 June: Fear in the Bedroom by Dr Kate Egan, Professor Stacey Abbott, Dr Simon Brown (plus Dr Cat Lester, University of Birmingham). Gallery North.
6 July – 27 July: Hand Thought by Justin Marshall. Gallery North.
24 Aug – 31 Aug: 404 Festival by Steve Gibson. Gallery North.
Regional arts audiences, creative practitioners and members of the public are invited to engage with the programme throughout 2026 – for more information visit the Programme Northumbria website.
