PROJECTS
Arts for the Blues (co-led by Prof Thurston) an interdisciplinary project which explores the impact of the arts in health and well-being settings. This is a collaborative research project with colleagues in Counselling & Psychotherapy at Salford and with colleagues at Edge Hill University and the NHS. The group have developed an evidence-based multi-modal creative psychological therapy for depression. See https://artsfortheblues.com/ and here.
Decolonising the Curriculum (led by Prof Munslow Ong) expand the impacts of the South African Modernism 1880-2020 project, focusing on ‘decolonising the English Literature A-Level’. Activities include teaching, training and podcast production delivered to students and teachers at 20+ FE providers, the creation of teacher toolkits, creative workshops, AI animations, podcasts, online lectures, short films, and a VR exhibition that will tour the UK and Northern Europe, South Africa and Australia.
Everyday Marvellous (led by Prof Hurley) explores the potential of ‘surrealist’, ‘avant garde’ and ‘anti-traditional’ creative writing techniques to promote well-being. It offered a series of accessible workshops at Salford Loaves and Fishes, a drop-in centre which supports the homeless, isolated and vulnerable in the local community.
The Northern School of Writing (NSW) (led by David Savill and Prof Jackie Kay). The NSW is an official partner of the UNESCO Manchester City of Literature. A collaborative school of novelists, poets, screenwriters, dramatists, journalists, podcasters, video-game and film-makers, the NSW is a community of staff and students who read, write, research and innovate in a tradition that is rebellious, risk-taking and brave.
The Salford Literacy Matters Network (led by David Savill with Mark Yates). Following the Salford Literacy Matters Symposium in June 2025, hosted by the NSW, the 152 attendees expressed an interest in founding a network and the NSW set up The Salford Literacy Matters Network funded by HEIF. Working closely with Salford City Council and the National Literacy Trust, the network aims to address educational inequality through encouraging reading.
The Men of Brown Creek: Lessons from a Penitentiary (led by Alicia Rouverol). This project is a long-term investigation of the benefits of creative activity in the context of a men’s prison in the US which radically reduced re-offending rates.
Rhyme and Reason (led by Prof Thurston). In collaboration with the local charity Curious Minds, Thurston has been adapting the Arts for the Blues model for poets to use in schools, exploring how to enable artists to use therapy-informed approaches for creative wellbeing in community settings. This project is funded by the Steph Lampl Foundation.
Environmental Humanities (led by Prof Munslow Ong). This project undertakes research into environmental humanities to influence curriculum diversification and consequently enhance global majority attainment. In collaboration with Mike Hardman (SEE) and Simon Stanton-Sharma (SAMCT),
Culture and the Irish Diaspora (led by Prof Magennis and Sheila McCormick – Performance). Together with colleagues across the School, Magennis brings 15 years of diaspora engagement to bear on a sustained partnership with the Irish community in Greater Manchester — developing, with local charities and the Irish Consulate, a programme of culturally-responsive creative workshops that takes seriously the complexity of Irish identity, and building a funding pipeline for future activity.