OpenARC Research Centre
@openarc
OpenARC, The Open University Arts & Humanities Research Centre, is the hub for research in the School of Arts and Humanities at The Open University. It hosts a broad range of research groups, and facilitates disciplinary and interdisciplinary research.
📢 Funding opportunity for Early Career Researchers Looking to develop a new research idea, build collaborations or explore an innovative project? 👇 #ResearchFunding #EarlyCareerResearch #ResearchImpact #Humanities #SocialSciences
🎨 Creativity, neurodivergence and building more inclusive research spaces | Lania Knight Lania reflects on organising a conference that brought together artists, writers, researchers and practitioners to explore neurodivergence through creative practice. 🎥 Video: youtu.be/xx6HYdsT00o?...
📢 Research Careers Day 2026 Join us for a day of career development, expert insights and networking. Hear from Prof Craig Mahoney, discover the Researcher Development Programme, and explore new opportunities within and beyond academia. 📅 23 Sept | 🕘 09:00–15:00 📝 Register via My Learning Centre
💻 How can digital humanities and AI support cultural wellbeing? | Francesca Benatti From bibliotherapy to AI-assisted storytelling, the project explores how digital tools can support wellbeing while opening new opportunities for interdisciplinary research. 🎥 Video: youtu.be/qe7jwSUyYSE?...
📖 What happens when autobiography, fiction and multiple voices collide? Fiona Doloughan explores Karl Ove Knausgård's work through voice, autofiction and adaptation, reflecting on research presented at the American Comparative Literature Association conference. 🎥 youtu.be/Gk1vPJx_lK4?...
👻 From manuscript to publication | Emily Bullock Emily Bullock shares how OpenARC funding supported the development of Almost a Ghost Story, highlighting the value of expert feedback and the creative journey from manuscript to publication. 🎥 youtu.be/2j5nza4hLvE?... #CreativeWriting #Publishing
🌿 How can art help us reconnect with the natural world? | the National Trust Nature Weekend Sam Shaw explored how creative practice can deepen our relationship with nature and foster environmental awareness. Read more: fass.open.ac.uk/news/ou-art-...
⚔️ Revisiting one of England's most famous battles | David Grummitt David Grummitt explores how new historical and archaeological research is reshaping our understanding of the Battle of Towton and the Palm Sunday campaign of 1461. 🎥 youtu.be/JEuN8I01McM?... #History #PublicHistory #Archaeology
📚 Remediating the Early Book: Pasts and Futures conference in Dublin. PhD student Ruth Allen presented her collaborative doctoral research with the National Trust on medieval books in its collections. Supervisors: Dr Andy Murray & Dr Susie West. #BookHistory #ArtHistory @shaftowheed.bsky.social
🖼️ Why does bringing people together around objects matter? Clare Taylor reflects on how a workshop on wallpaper, design and imperial trade networks helped shape a major international research bid, highlighting the value of archives, collections and collaboration. 🎥 youtu.be/9QF8JmcI0hQ?...
⚖️ Can ancient legal speeches reshape how we think about people and the environment? Christine Plastow explores how environmental humanities and "dark ecology" offer a new perspective on an ancient Greek legal dispute, revealing how landscapes can shape human conflict. 🎥 youtu.be/Wei56sS5wUg?...
🎶 What can music reveal about connections between communities, cultures and social spaces? Byron Dueck discusses his research with xylophone musicians in Cameroon, exploring how musical traditions connect celebrations, religious life & popular culture. 🎥 Watch: youtu.be/C6w8I917Jig?...
🏛️ How can seed funding spark international research opportunities? Angeliki Lymberopoulou reflects on how OpenARC support helped develop new research on Byzantine monumental painting, leading to fellowships at Dumbarton Oaks and Meiji University. 🎥Watch: youtu.be/pnf8GbFuXdA?... #ByzantineStudies
📚 How can open-access publishing create impact beyond academia? In this OpenARC Spring Festival talk, Andrew Murray explores how the Open Arts Journal builds research communities & encourages public engagement through accessible scholarship. 🎥 Watch: youtu.be/oknbUVZONSM?... #OpenAccess
🌍✍️ How can creative writing help us respond to the climate crisis? OU Researchers are exploring how storytelling, poetry and creative practice can deepen understanding of environmental challenges and inspire action towards more sustainable futures. 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/news/ou-crea... #ClimateChange
🖊️ The afternoon sessions of OpenARC's conference The Public Humanities in the 21st Century are now underway. 🔹 Christine Plastow – Why co-creation matters 🔹 Veronica Davies – Art History in the community 🔹 David Grummitt – The Wars of the Roses: Negotiating the Battlefield of History and Heritage
📢 We’re about to begin OpenARC’s conference, The Public Humanities in the 21st Century. Looking forward to a day of discussion, debate and exchange on the role of the Arts & Humanities in a changing world. Stay tuned for updates and outputs from the conference. 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/events/confe...
As A&H education and research face increasing pressures—from the instrumentalisation of university study to the narrowing of school curricula and the prioritisation of STEM—how do we make the case for critical and creative thinking? We'll be exploring these questions throughout the day.
📢 This Wednesday: What is the role of the public humanities in the 21st century? Join OpenARC for a free online conference bringing together researchers, teachers and learners to explore some of the key challenges facing Arts & Humanities education and research today. @shaftowheed.bsky.social
🎉 Congratulations to Emily Bullock (Senior Lecturer, Creative Writing), whose novel For Always Only has been shortlisted for the Virginia Prize for Fiction. 📖 The novel is one of four works selected for the 2025 shortlist. 🔗 Read more: fass.open.ac.uk/news/creativ... @aurorametro.bsky.social
The conference will examine issues including: 📚 The increasing instrumentalisation of university study 🏫 The narrowing of school curricula 🔬 The prioritisation of STEM And ask what role critical and creative thinking should play in today's world.
🎓 What is the role of the humanities in the 21st century? Join OpenARC's free online conference exploring the challenges and opportunities facing Arts & Humanities education and research today. 📅 17 June 2026 ⏰ From 9:30am 📍 Online #PublicHumanities #ArtsAndHumanities
🎼 Research by Dr Robert Samuels has been featured by Brill on its Kudos research showcase platform. His article examines the relationship between music and language through Robert Schumann’s first published critical text (1831). 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/news/music-a...
✍️ Can taste, touch, smell and sight inspire creative writing? Join Dr Lania Knight for a sensory writing workshop featuring tea tasting, historic objects, and creative practice. 📅 11 June 2026 | London 🔗 www.goldsmiths-centre.org/whats-on/cre... @ouliterature.bsky.social @laniaknight.bsky.social
🎓 Congratulations to Michael Terry on successfully passing his PhD viva 🎉 The title of Michael’s thesis is "The Representation of Aerial Combat in First World War Literature". Supervisors: Sara Haslam & Edmund King. #PhD #VivaSuccess #DoctoralResearch #FirstWorldWar
🏛️ Prof Elizabeth McKellar and Prof Clare Taylor attended the Vanbrugh Panel Discussion at Blenheim Palace, exploring the legacy of Sir John Vanbrugh. Sharing photos from the evening — including Blenheim Palace wrapped in scaffolding during ongoing conservation work. #Architecture #BlenheimPalace
📚 Book Launch Event: Cybernetic Imaginations 📅 Wed 20 May ⏰ 12.00–1.30pm (GMT) Join The Open University Film and Media Research Group for the launch of Cybernetic Imaginations (Peter Lang), the first title in the Speculations series. #BookLaunch #Cybernetics #AI #MediaStudies #DigitalCulture
📢 OpenARC Conference | The Public Humanities in the 21st Century | 17 June 2026 - Save the date 💡 What is the role of the public humanities today? 📅 17 June 2026 🕤 Starting 9:30am 💻 Online | Free 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/events/confe... #PublicHumanities #ArtsAndHumanities
🎉 Grant success | Leverhulme Research Fellowship | Congrats to Prof Byron Dueck The project explores xylophone traditions in central Cameroon and the movement of music across ritual & performance contexts 💡 fass.open.ac.uk/news/byron-d... #ArtsAndHumanities #MusicResearch
🎉 Award news | Historian David Grummitt wins the Templer Medal (Society for Army Historical Research, National Army Museum) His Wars of the Roses (OUP, 2025) is the first book on a medieval subject to receive the award. 🔗 profiles.open.ac.uk/david-grummitt #History #MedievalHistory