I teach on the MA in Arts Management, Policy and Practice programme. During the academic year 2024-25, I will act as Programme Director for the MA in Arts Manaagement, Policy and Practice and convene course units in cultural policy, creative placemaking and audience, engagement and participation.  

Ryan Humphrey is an Arts and Cultural Management Lecturer at the University of Manchester. He holds a PhD in Community Music and Cultural Policy from York St John University. Before this, he completed an MA in Community Music Research at York St John University and a BA (Hons) in Community Music at the University of Sunderland. Ryan has previously held positions at the University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh and was responsible for supporting the development of the SUII-funded Scottish Cultural Policy Research Network. 

In addition to his academic work, Ryan worked as a community musician and arts program manager in the North East of England. In this role, he implemented and delivered various music programs across different settings, with a particular focus on working with children and young people with care experience. He held the position of Training Manager at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, where he designed and delivered the training around inclusive music practice for their musician workforce. 

As part of his current research, Ryan is developing a monograph that investigates the relationship between community music and cultural policy, considering how policymaking impacts community musicians' practices.

My research concerns the relationship between community arts practice and cultural policy. I am particularly interested in exploring how policy shapes and affects the funding mechanisms of community arts and socially engaged arts programmes and the resulting impact on the development, delivery, and evaluation. As part of this exploration, I am also interested in how community arts practices, values and practices shift due to policy influence and the effects that this has on the field in the 21st century. Part of this research is looking at the changes in cultural value and instrumentalisation agendas that surround arts and cultural activity. 

In addition to my focus on community arts and cultural policy, I am keen on delving into the employment n of arts and cultural activities in planning strategies to enhance the sense of place. Specifically, I am intrigued by the exploration of placemaking approaches that can encourage a more grassroots, bottom-up approach to urban revitalisation and the establishment of sustainable cultural infrastructures.

In the 2024-2025 academic year, I will teach across the following courses: 

SALC60011 Arts Management Principles and Practice

SALC60021 Cultural Policy 

SALC60322 Creative Placemaking and Cultural Development 

SALC60932 Managing Relationships: Audience, Participation and Engagement 

SALC60090 Dissertation