C3’s Professor Carola Boehm joins the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) College of Experts

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Carola Boehm, Professor of Arts and Higher Education from the C3 Centre for Creative Industries and Creative Communities at the University of Staffordshire, has been recruited to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) College of Experts. She will be joining 58 external experts from across academia and industry, forming a diverse and experienced community of experts. The DCMS College of Experts members have been called upon to provide external expertise and apply innovative scientific methods to support government policy.

Her expertise will contribute to helping DCMS tackle complex challenges across their policy areas with research insights.

Professor Carola Boehm said:

“I am delighted to be collaborating with fellow college members and DCMS colleagues and look forward to supporting evidence-based policymaking, driving forward impactful solutions for our creative and cultural sectors.”

Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Tom Crick said:

“We are delighted to welcome our new members of DCMS College of Experts. Since 2021, the College of Experts has made a significant impact on our department, ensuring that our policy design, development and implementation is grounded in the most rigorous and robust research and evidence available. Your engagement will help us continue to tackle the complex and interdisciplinary challenges across our policy areas with confidence and insight. We look forward to engaging with you and building on the meaningful collaboration that has shaped and informed impactful decision-making.”

 The College of Experts has expertise across the DCMS portfolio. The College supplements any existing relationships that teams have established with experts and offers a diverse breadth of scientific and technical knowledge that colleagues can draw upon dynamically. This allows the department to benefit from longer-term, systematic working relationships and addresses the increasing need for on-demand expert advice to underpin policy work.

Professor Carola Boehm’s research focusses on creative and cultural industries and has already been featured in the UPEN Study on how Arts and Humanities research influence public policy making (https://upen.ac.uk/resources/how-does-arts-and-humanities-research-influence-public-policymaking/). Her work underpins various strategic initiatives, from Cultural Leadership Programmes, such as Create Place Programme (https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/createplace/), or supports the work of Cultural Compacts, such as Stoke Creates, where she is currently the chair (https://stokecreates.org.uk/). She has recently published a book in Emerald’s book series, Great Debates in Higher Education, titled Arts and Academia: The Role of the Arts in Civic Universities.

Her public output can be accessed or requested from EPRINTS/STORE BOEHM

The Universit press release can be read at https://www.staffs.ac.uk/news/2025/06/staffordshire-professor-joins-the-department-of-culture-media-and-sport-dcms-college-of-experts

Critical Ecologies Symposium 2025

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Symposium Date: Wednesday, 9th July 10 – 3
Where: Catalyst Building, Leek Road, University of Staffordshire
Expression of Interest in Contributing: Friday June 20th, by 5pm
Registration via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/critical-ecologies-symposium-2025-tickets-1376317244929
PDF Details and Programme: https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/c3centre/wp-content/blogs.dir/1790/files/sites/1790/2025/06/CriticalEcologiesSymposium-2025-1.pdf  

Critical Ecologies is a grassroots research hub, generating a community of practice holding space to focus discussion and innovation around nature recovery and environmental justice.

The 2025 Symposium supports shared visioning for future collaborations and practice-led research connections. We invite all researchers and practitioners interested in these themes to come together via an experimental, generative format, where throughout the day, we will propose provocations that generate knowledge around specific enquiries.

We invite you to propose either a 10-minute sharing provocation of your practice and/or research or a 30-minute hands-on making activity that responds to one of the enquiries.

The Enquiries:
1. Nature Recovery Strategy:
In this session, we will consider the Local Nature Recovery Strategies being prepared nationally; what role and purpose they need to fulfil, and how we, as creative and academic practitioners, might inform the processes or support communities in having a voice within the proceedings. What role can the strategy play in our research and practice in the coming years? More broadly, how can our work as practitioners and researchers better inform policy development?

2. Declaration of Intent:
This session aims to create a shared understanding of the Critical Ecologies Research Hub and to formulate a declaration of intent for the upcoming seasonal cycles. We will discuss the current functions of the hub, which include providing space for resistant research, supporting practice-led research, and fostering transdisciplinary connections and networks. How can we strengthen and build upon these aims?

3. Body/Brain:
Through a haptic experience of the subject themes, this session will enable us to synthesise the insights gained throughout the day, making them visible through practice-led guided engagement with material processes. From this collaborative process, visual motifs will emerge that will reinforce the strategic directions of the research hub moving forward. This session will also facilitate the cross-pollination, discussion, and experimental generation of ideas that occur during a practice-led workshop or workshops.

The outcomes of our collaboration throughout the day will form a Research Document, which will be shared immediately after the Symposium with all participants and will inform our ongoing efforts for the next year’s cycle of Critical Ecologies Seasonal Gatherings for 2025/26.

Symposium Date: Wednesday, 9th July 10 – 3
10 -10.30 – Introduction and framing the day.
10.30 – 11.30 – Enquiry 1: Nature Recovery Strategy
11.30 – 12.30 – Enquiry 2: Convening a Declaration of Intent
12.30 – 1.30 – LUNCH
1.30 – 2.30 – Enquiry 3: Body/Brain
2.30 – 3.00- Wrap Up

Expression of Interest in Contributing
To send in an Expression of Interest to
• present a 10 minute sharing provocation of your practice and/or research or
• a 30 minute hands-on making activity which responds to one of the enquiries,
please send us up to 500 words indicating which of the enquiries you are responding to, and what you intend to present or share by 5pm Friday June 20th to rebecca.nunes@staffs.ac.uk

Attending the Symposium:
If you would like to simply attend the Symposium, please sign up via our EventBrite link above. (We will contact you to ascertain any dietary requirements etc).
Further detail to follow.
We look forward to sharing the day with you.

London’s EPOD conference set to highlight education through podcasting in June

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Education through Podcasting (EPOD) is organising its second conference on 26th and 27th June 2025 at Morley College London. A group of educators, podcast practitioners and industry experts will gather to discuss ‘Between entertainment and education’. Speakers will share how they use podcasts, best practices, and themes around ethics and inclusivity.

This conference continues a partnership formed between University of Staffordshire’s C3 Centre, Routledge, Morley College London, the University of Leeds and the University of South Florida. Industry sponsors include Audio UK, Broadcast Radio, HHB, Morley Radio, Routledge, and The Radio Academy.

It was announced also on the Podnews’s newsletter at https://podnews.net/press-release/epod-conference-25, which has a distribution of 32,457.

Carola Boehm, EPOD committee member and C3 member, said: ‘This is a fabulous conference that highlights the opportunities of podcasting to lean into higher education, and universities to lean into podcasting’.

This year’s keynote speakers include freelance producer and presenter Meera Kumar, recently named Producer of the Year 2024; Naomi Mellor, host and producer; and Stephen Coleman, author and emeritus Professor of Political Communication at the University of Leeds.

Camilo Salazar, EPOD committee member and manager at Morley Radio in London, said: ‘We are excited to host this event again. It will be so interesting to bring together people from all over the world and hear how media industry expectations apply in educational contexts.’

Each year, speakers will be given the opportunity to write up a chapter for a book in the EPOD book series, published by Routledge. The first book from the inaugural conference is due for release later this year. For more information about the event or to get tickets to attend, visit: https://www.epod.org.uk/epod-conference-2025

 

Critical Ecologies Spring Session on the IKON Slow Boat

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Ikon Slow Boat will be in Stoke-on-Trent throughout April and May, and provides an excellent space for our next Critical Ecologies Session.

https://www.ikon-gallery.org/news/view/ikon-slow-boat-stoke-on-trent-2025

For our next session we will be considering the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Staffordshire, and asking what we feel priorities should be for both rural and urban areas.

Given the significant loss of habitat we have seen across continents in the past 50 years, and the recent attack on the environment by the current US government, while closer to home reports of tree felling across cities and recent threat to the Dartington Forest – there has never been a more pressing time to think about what we as researchers might be able to do to advocate for nature.

In this session we will experience the new public art trail installed along the Caldon Canal, celebrating biodiversity, before a session aboard the Ikon Slow Boat, where we will consider the importance of our post-industrial water ways as nature corridors through urban landscapes – which then move out to more rural areas.

In the context of the LNRS for Staffordshire currently being prepared, we will hear from Nicola Lynes of Support Staffordshire, Chair of the Community Advisory Panel for the Staffordshire LNRS, who will share information about the Public Consultation underway and consider with us what we would recognise as priorities for Nature Recovery.

As always, this will also be an opportunity to discuss what you are working on currently, and an open discussion on potential for collaborations and information about our July Symposium, while enjoying the experience of the Slowness of Canal Travel on a boat ride.

We will share a reading list with those that sign up for the event, but for now a couple of relevant links:

Link to book a place: Critical Ecologies Spring Session on the IKON Slow Boat Tickets, Wed, May 14, 2025 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite

C3’s Prof Carola Boehm joins the Birmingham and West Midlands Conference Ambassador Network

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As Professor of Creative and Cultural Industries, Chair of Stoke Creates Cultural Compact, and as part of the leadership team of the C3 Centre: Creative Industries and Creative Communities at the University of Staffordshire, Prof Carola Boehm has been inmvited to join the Birmingham and the West Midlands Conference Ambassador Network.

She said: “As an academic and a cultural leader of our region, we regularly bring audiences, visitors and delegates to our city-region. Visitors contribute so much when joining us in our cultural and academic events that make our creative place what it is, the quintessential creative city with a deep and long history of producing creative products, services and creativity-underpinned knowledge & innovation. From medium-scale academic conferences to large-scale international festivals, from music concerts to boutique cultural gems, as a place with two universities and a multitude of vibrant creative and cultural organisations, we want to share our city with visitors.”

https://www.meetbirmingham.com/can/ambassadors

The West MIdlands Growth Company, under Chief Executive Neil Rami, set up the network to help reinforce the international reputation for excellence in academic research and contribute to our ongoing economic growth in the region.

“The Birmingham and the West Midlands Conference Ambassador Network has been created as a platform for the region’s greatest minds and leaders to work together in pursuit of a common goal – to contribute to our ongoing economic growth and reinforce our international reputation for excellence in academic research and business.”

“Ambassadors are influential in their field and play a key and active role in attracting their association conferences or connecting us with other people in the region who might be interested in working with us.”

The Birmingham & West Midlands Convention Bureau’s purpose is to promote the West Midlands and the wider region as a leading destination for events. The Bureau offers  support for large-scale event bids, and help win and deliver events, assisting also with accommodation booking for delegates and marketing support.

More information from: https://www.meetbirmingham.com/can

C3 Research Group Leads and Thematic Leads 2025

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Just a quick update on our C3 2025  line-up of C3 leadership team. If you have any questions about our research groups, do feel free to contact us on c3centre@staffs.ac.uk

C3 Lead – Agata Lulkowska

C3 Co-Leads – Rebecca Nunes, Agata Lulkowska, Andy Stubbs, Carola Boehm

Research Theme Leads (Horizontal):

  • C3 Impact Lead – Anna Francis
  • PGR – Andrew Stubbs
  • C3 Website – Carola Boehm

Research Group Leads (Verticals) :

  • Music and Sound – Mark Estibeiro, Dave Payling  (Themes a, d)
  • Art, Environment, Society – Anna Francis, Rebecca Nunes (Themes a, b, c)
  • Art and Design Research Group – Ian Brown   (Themes a, c)
  • Ceramic Cultures, Practices and Debates – Neil Brownsword (Themes a, c)
  • Philosophy & The Humanities – Phil O’Connor, David Webb  (Themes d)
  • Digital & Creative – Carola Boehm & Elhadj Benkhelifa  (Themes a, b, c, d)
  • Practice as Research – Agata Lulkowska   (Themes c, b, c, d)
  • (NEW) Film Research Cluster – Andrew Stubbs-Lacy  (Themes a)
Research Themes:a)        Creative Industries and Creative Communities (Music Sector, Ceramics & Film Cluster, Arts-led Regeneration)

b)       Co-creation & Co-production Processes for the Creative Sectors (Culture 3.0, Cultural Policy, Participatory Processes, Citizens as Researchers)

c)        Artistic Practices, Methods, Theoretical Frameworks & Identities (Audio-visual work, Media productions, Ceramics, Artworks, Performances, Compositions)

d)       Arts, Culture and Higher Education (Arts and Academia, Research Pedagogies in the Arts, Practice-as-Research Education Philosophy)

REBELLIOUS RESEARCH: Create Practice Research Seminar Series – Round 4

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Welcome to Round 4  of the Rebellious Research Seminar Series focusing on Creative Practice Research. The seminar series returns yet again, with some truly exquisite guests. As always, free and open to all (all sessions run online via MS Teams), this initiative aims at widening support and understanding around practice research in a friendly and inclusive manner, with some top experts sharing their experience and advice.

Download your Round 4 (2024/2025) PROGRAMME 

For more info and to be added to the mailing list please contact Agata Lulkowska (Agata.Lulkowska@staffs.ac.uk)

Download your Round 4 (2024/2025) PROGRAMME 

​All the past sessions are available on a dedicated YouTube channel

Any changes ot the programme will be announced on: https://www.agatalulkowska.com/seminar-series

Step Up to Research – Conferencing

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  • When: 01 May 2025 15:00 – 16:30
  • Where: Flaxman L518
  • Registration: Through MS Outlook Invite
  • For Who: University of Staffordshire Staff Only

After a short break the Step-Up-to-Research team is pleased to announce the return of the ‘Step up to Research’ programme, reimagined as a cross-department collaboration between the C3 and LEVELS research centres.  LEVEL’s Sharon Coleclough and C3’s Mark McKenna will be convening a packed programme of activity over the coming months that includes:

  • Beginning to Write – Book chapters and Journal Articles
  • Curating the work of Others: Edited Collections and Journal Special Issues
  • Developing Book proposals
  • Creative practice and alternative outputs
  • Studying for a PhD – what you need to know
  • Curating an exhibition or live event
  • Grant capture do’s and don’ts

The series is aimed at the research curious, but everyone is welcome to attend and even if you are further along on your research journey, we would welcome your input into the sessions as we grow a vibrant and connected research community here at Staffs.

We are keen to be as responsive to your needs as possible and plan to conduct a skills audit as part of these sessions, in order to ascertain where the gaps are and how we might best support you. We have designed these sessions to give you practical advice on the processes involved to enable you to grow your research profile.

Since conference season is almost upon us, we would like to begin with:

  • Conferences – a guide to attending and presenting

In this session we’ll cover everything from where to find the various call for papers requests in your area of expertise, to responding to those calls, and from preparing and delivering your conference paper, to networking and any post conference considerations. We understand that conferencing can be daunting, even for the more experienced among us, so consider this your one-stop-shop to get you ready for the summer season.

These are informal sessions in which a range of staff will share their experience and expertise of each of the topics providing the foundation for a broader discussion of how we might support you in achieving your own research goals.  The is an open forum for researchers to gain knowledge, get answers to questions and to feel supported in their research moving forwards.

We look forward to seeing you.

Mark and Sharon

If you have any queries or suggestions please contact:

Sharon as the representative of LEVELS: @Sharon Coleclough

or Mark McKenna as the representative of C3: @Mark Mckenna

Please note the session will take place in person in Flaxman L518, but we would encourage you to accept the Teams meeting so we can gauge numbers.

Philosophy Research Seminar Series – Life Matters: Thought, Nature and Technology

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  • When: 27th March 2025
  • Where: Online
  • Registration: Please contact Patrick O’Connor if you would like an invite to the meeting.

You are invited to Staffordshire Philosophy’s research seminar series. This time we will be speaking with Prof. Katherine Withy who teaches Philosophy at Georgetown University.

Paper: The World of the Kitchen

Abstract: When Heidegger introduces the notions of world and being-in-the-world in Being and Time, he speaks of the carpenter’s workshop.1 The carpenter’s workshop is both part of a world—namely, the world of a tradesperson in early 20th Century Germany—and a model for what it is to be in a world at all. As a model, the carpenter’s workshop has profoundly influenced how Heidegger’s concepts of world and being-in-the-world were developed and how they have been given uptake. You can hardly take two steps into Heidegger scholarship without running into a carpenter and their hammer. Using this example as a model for being-in-the-world makes certain features of us and the worlds we inhabit salient while obscuring others. Some of what this model obscures is crucial to the phenomenon of being-in-the-world, and it is made perspicuous by a different model. I want to suggest that a better model for being-in-the-world is being in the world of the kitchen.

Please contact Patrick O’Connor if you would like an invite to the meeting or if you are having trouble accessing the paper

Launch of a new Creative Industries Lecture Series

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  • When: 5th March 2025
  • Where: G027 Cadman Building / Cadman Yard, University of Staffordshire
  • Registration: Sign up for free through Eventbrite linke below

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/staffs-creative-industries-lecture-series-tickets-1222599059699

Led by C3 Member Dr. Mark McKenna, the inaugural lecture in the newly established Creative Industries Lecture Series will be at 3pm on March 5th in G027 Cadman Building / Cadman Yard. Britain’s creative industries are world leading and they are the engine of our economic growth. In stark financial terms, in 2021 they generated £108bn in economic value and employed 2.3 million people. They are valuable and vital, but the importance of the creative industries goes well beyond the economy. Art, design, and entertainment enrich our lives and contribute to cultural identity and societal well-being. The works that these industries produce are the lens through which we understand the world.

This series of lectures will feature emerging and established speakers sharing their insights and experiences of the creative industries and, whether you’re a student, professional, or simply ‘creative industries curious’, the series is perfect for anyone looking to be inspired and to learn something new.

Mark has a forthcoming book with Routledge – Levelling Up the Screen Industries: Film and Television Production as Regenerative Strategy in Places Left Behind (2025), which grew out of a piece of work for Stoke-on-Trent City Council on the viability of a Film Office in the region and offers an assessment of the contribution that similar regions can make to the screen economy. The book considers the impact that various industrial and governmental devolution strategies have had or are having and explores the potentially transformative effect that this could have on the UKs screen economy.