Man reading poetry surrounded by onlookers

Welcome to AHEAD

AHEAD (Arts and Humanities Engagement And Dialogue) is the public engagement programme of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Manchester Metropolitan University.

AHEAD – Arts and Humanities Engagement and Dialogue, aims to elevate the Faculty in national discussions, advocating for the significance of arts, humanities, and social sciences in addressing contemporary challenges and making a positive difference.

Our research areas include Art, Media and Design (Manchester School of Art); Digital Technologies, (SODA – School of Digital Arts), Humanities, Languages and Social Science; and Fashion (Manchester Fashion Institute).

AHEAD presents a rolling programme of events and collaborations on a range of topics, disciplines and research areas from across the faculty and throughout the year.

Please join us in making a positive impact through research.

We hope you enjoy the programme!

Download the Public Engagement Calendar for upcoming activity involving Manchester Met’s Arts and Humanities Researchers

Events Programme

Our Researchers are sharing their creativity and wisdom across the university all year round. Here are a selection of ways you can hear about their impact and conversations

Highlights from the Faculty

Bunker Talks 2025

Curated by the Performance Research Group at Manchester School of Art, Bunker Talks create space for critical encounters, presentations, and dialogue, interviewing industry guests about practice & research.

Karen Barbour, ‘Where the Fruits of the Trees Are Jewels’

Karen Barbour’s first solo show in the UK. Comprising twenty-nine paintings on paper that include a new body of work as well as paintings and collages that have been re-visited over the years, it dwells on the California-based artist’s intense concern for the spiritual in painting and how it might serve to alter psychological perspectives on landscape, cityscape or our internal relationship with our environment in general.