Creative Cambridge: Leading with Connection
Creative CambridgeCreative Cambridge 2025 brought together artists and innovators from across the region to explore the theme of creative leadership, sharing bold ideas, common challenges and inspiring examples of how creativity can shape a more connected and resilient future.
Creative Cambridge celebrates and supports the incredible creative community in the city of Cambridge, bringing together diverse voices and talents from across the region.
Founded over six years ago, it has grown into a forum for exploring both the exciting opportunities and the critical challenges facing the sector. Despite challenges like Brexit, COVID and the rise of AI, Creative Cambridge is an annual opportunity to showcases the resilience of the community and the increased will for collaboration amongst our civic, creative and cultural institutions:
“We could dwell on the challenges of the past six years but instead I’m filled with optimism. Every day I see us working together, creating new tools, new possibilities and new ways to connect.”
Dr Emma Salgård Cunha, Associate Director, Cambridge Enterprise
This year’s Creative Cambridge event was a remarkable gathering focused on creative leadership and featuring inspiring keynotes, hands-on demos, networking opportunities and panel discussions, exploring themes such as generative AI, network building, regional collaboration and the application of arts-based methods across different sectors.
Create Cambridge: A Cultural Compact for Cambridge
In a compelling keynote, Matt Burman invited the Creative Cambridge audience to imagine what a Cultural Compact for the city could look like and why it matters now. He argued that culture is not a luxury but a civic necessity and that creative leadership must be shared, inclusive and future focused. Drawing on Cambridge’s contrasts and potential, Matt called for a new kind of infrastructure built on trust, collaboration and imagination. His message was clear: culture shapes how we live, connect and envision what comes next. He left the audience with a challenge to stop simply describing Cambridge and start deciding what it could become.
Matt Burman | Artistic Director & CEO, Cambridge Junction, Co-Lead, Create Cambridge
Our 3 key takeaways:
- Creative leadership is civic, collaborative and essential.
- Culture is infrastructure that shapes identity and belonging.
- A Cultural Compact can bridge divides and spark transformation.
“Let’s build a cultural compact that’s agile, generous and grounded, one that links the micro and the macro, not just excellence but equity, not just tradition but transformation.”
Creativity at the Leading Edge: GenAI in Arts and Culture
As generative AI becomes more integrated into creative and educational tools, its influence on how we express, learn and connect is growing rapidly. This session brought together artists, researchers and designers to explore how large language models are being used in real-world contexts such as classrooms, community projects, design studios and cultural preservation.
Our panellists shared examples including schoolchildren creating heritage-inspired video games and communities developing their own language models to protect underrepresented languages. These stories showed how AI can democratise creativity, making it more accessible to those without technical training or traditional platforms.
At the same time, the panel raised concerns about cultural bias, over-reliance and the potential loss of critical thinking in creative processes. Rather than treating AI as a shortcut, the speakers encouraged its use as a collaborative partner that supports exploration, reflection and inclusion. Their insights highlighted the need for thoughtful, ethical and community-led approaches to AI. When used with care and intention, GenAI can amplify human imagination and cultural diversity rather than diminish it.
Our panellists:
Michelle Lim (Chair) | Principal Behavioural Scientist, Consumer Disruption
Guy Schofield | Digital Artist
Hannah Claus | PhD Student, University of Cambridge
Ran Xiao | Founder and CEO of Planarific
Our 3 key takeaways:
- Critical AI literacy: Teaching young people to understand, yet question AI.
- Creative collaboration: AI should enhance, not replace, human imagination through thoughtful interdisciplinary co-creation.
- Cultural inclusion: GenAI must support linguistic and cultural diversity, especially in low-resource communities.
“As generative AI evolves from text to speech and from images to video, we’re seeing more opportunities for creative expression than ever before.”
Championing Creative Professionals
In a city often defined by its universities, tech companies and life sciences sector, grassroots creative communities are stepping in to create what is missing. This session brought together organisers who have built networks from the ground up to support artists, freelancers and micro-businesses who often feel excluded from Cambridge’s formal cultural and professional spaces.
Chloe Thomas described how the absence of a visible filmmaking community led her to co-found Cambridge Film People and Cambridge Salon, creating spaces for connection, collaboration and visibility. Chanele spoke about their commitment to building inclusive creative events and networks that reflect the full diversity of the city’s talent. Kate Jones spoke about the success of Cam Creatives, a monthly meetup that now connects over 5,000 members in a relaxed, low-pressure environment.
The panel reflected on how Cambridge can often feel exclusive or siloed, particularly for those outside the university or tech sectors. Their stories revealed a shared desire to make the city’s creative scene more visible, accessible and representative of its full diversity. They emphasised the importance of informal, welcoming spaces where people can share ideas without needing to pitch or perform and called for stronger cross-sector collaboration. Ideas such as a shared creative hub, a dedicated sector champion and greater institutional support were proposed as ways to help grassroots creativity thrive and ensure the city’s creative ecosystem reflects the richness of its communities.
Our panellists:
Helen Alexander (Chair) | IE Cambridge Manager, Cambridge Enterprise
Chanelle Mwala | Events & Front of House Coordinator, Innovate Cambridge
Kate Jones | Marketing Manager, Studio 24
Chloë Thomas | TV Director and Founder, One Glove Films
Our 3 key takeaways:
- Community-led networks matter: Informal, inclusive spaces are vital for connection, especially for those outside traditional institutions.
- Visibility is key: Cambridge’s creative scene is vibrant but often hidden, better platforms and promotion are needed.
- Cross-sector potential: Creatives can bring storytelling and innovation to tech, science and academia, if given the opportunity.
“We need a central hub, a place where creatives, tech innovators and researchers can meet, share ideas and build something new together.”
Building Collaborative Capacity for Creative Innovation
Across East Anglia, the need for stronger regional collaboration has become increasingly urgent in the wake of Brexit and the pandemic. This session explored how partnerships between universities, local government and the creative industries can support cultural development, innovation and social impact across the region.
Sean Campbell opened the discussion by highlighting a shift in how institutions like Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Cambridge are working together more closely, with a renewed focus on civic mission and measurable public benefit. Minna Sunikka-Blank discussed a regeneration project in King’s Hedges, highlighting that while innovation is often celebrated in Cambridge, it is not experienced equally. She emphasised the value of involving artists early to ensure underrepresented communities shape outcomes. Frances Alderton emphasised the role of Cambridge City Council as an anchor institution, supporting access to culture through partnerships with health services, charities and universities. Alex Jeffrey spoke about the Create Growth programme, which helps creative SMEs across East Anglia become investment-ready and build peer networks.
The panel acknowledged that while collaboration is widely valued, it can be difficult to realise in practice due to funding constraints, institutional silos and differing agendas. There was a strong call for better preparation around large-scale funding opportunities, including the development of shared data and clearer alignment of goals. Speakers emphasised that long-term investment, inclusive engagement and joined-up thinking are essential to building a more resilient and representative creative ecosystem across the region.
Our panellists:
Sean Campbell (Chair) | Deputy Dean for Research and Innovation in Arts, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University
Minna Sunikka Blank | Professor of Architecture and Environmental Policy at the University of Cambridge
Alex Jeffery | Investment Funding Advisor, Creative East
Frances Alderton | Cultural Services and Events Manager, Cambridge City Council
Our 3 key takeaways:
- Collaboration needs structure: Successful partnerships require aligned goals, shared evidence and early involvement of communities and creatives.
- Support for creative businesses: Regional programmes like Create Growth are vital for helping SMEs scale and connect.
- Civic and cultural leadership: Universities and councils play a key role in driving inclusive, place-based innovation.
“We’re not just talking about innovation in abstract terms, we’re building real, lasting partnerships that bring measurable change to communities.”
Creative Changemaking
In spaces where traditional systems often fall short, creative practitioners are finding new ways to connect, care and communicate. This panel brought together artists and researchers using arts-based methods to support wellbeing, spark dialogue and reimagine how we engage with public services and institutions.
Featured projects included Laura Davies’ A Good Death?, which uses poetry and literature to open up conversations around dying and care; Ellie Finch’s therapeutic work with Minecraft, helping children express grief and build emotional resilience; Chris Burgess’ Snicket, a digital storytelling platform rethinking how museums share their collections; and Sara Wookey’s dance-based interventions, which transform museum spaces into sites of social connection through movement and embodied interaction.
Together, these projects show that creativity is more than expression. It is a tool for building inclusive environments, fostering empathy and driving meaningful change. The discussion called for greater visibility and support for these approaches and for stronger cross-sector collaboration to embed creative practice into everyday life. To learn more about each project, follow the links in the text.
Our panellists:
Emma Salgård Cunha (Chair) | Associate Director, Cambridge Enterprise
Laura Davies | Researcher, King's College, University of Cambridge
Ellie Finch | Founder, PlayMode Academy
Chris Burgess | Founder and CEO of SNICKET media, Head of Exhibitions and Public Programmes Cambridge University Library
Sara Wookey | Consultant & Associate Researcher, Robinson College University of Cambridge
Our 3 key takeaways:
- Cross-sector potential: Creative practice can be embedded in health, education and civic systems to drive innovation and connection.
- Support for practitioners: Artists need infrastructure, funding and platforms to sustain and scale their work across disciplines.
- Creativity as care: Arts-based methods can support emotional wellbeing and open up difficult conversations in safe, engaging ways.
“It’s not about telling people what to think - it’s about opening up new ideas, new vocabularies and new ways of seeing, so they can reflect in a space that feels safe.”
Celebrating creative innovation in Cambridge
Thank you to everyone who made Creative Cambridge such a vibrant and inspiring event. It brought together voices from across the city and region, celebrating the diversity of creative practice and the power of collaboration. From grassroots organisers to researchers and civic leaders, the day was filled with thoughtful conversation and connection. If you were not able to attend or want a glimpse of the atmosphere, watch the short video below which captures the energy, ideas and community spirit that made the event so special.
