Joceyln Cunningham

Director

Lancaster Arts

Speaker Biography

For 16 years, Jocelyn has worked closely with higher education, developing bespoke Masters programmes in education and the arts, and advising Arts Council England on innovative models of partnership.

As Director of Arts at the RSA, Jocelyn shaped the Arts and Society agenda, influencing flagship programmes such as Citizen Power in Peterborough and People Shaped Localism in Wiltshire, and led Creative Intersections, the RSA’s pioneering artist–academic partnership.

An RSA Associate, she now runs the social enterprise Arts and Society and her consultancy, Other Ways of Working, acting as a critical friend to cultural initiatives and publishing widely on cultural education and social change.

Jocelyn is an experienced actor, director, and arts leader with more than 25 years working across the UK and Canada. Beginning her career at Manchester Library Theatre and appearing in the northern soap Emmerdale as lecturer Jude Clayton, she went on to lead major arts and education initiatives for over two decades, including Creative Partnerships in north London.

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