Lauren Baker

Originally trained as a textile designer, Lauren has significant experience in the craft sector as a maker which she has been able to share with others through the development of workshops, exhibitions, and creative events. Lauren’s professional background includes curatorial practice in both public and private galleries and museums, as well as freelance workshop facilitation in textiles, ceramics and paper craft.

Lauren completed her doctoral studies at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD), University of Dundee and was a member of the Scottish Graduate School of Arts & Humanities (SGSAH) creative economy knowledge hub, where her research explored the role of organisational programmes in the development of the entrepreneurial craft profiles of makers in Scotland. Before joining Northumbria University, Lauren was Innovation and Research Associate at Creative Fuse North East, Newcastle University. 

Lauren is a specialist in craft, innovation, unconventional entrepreneurship and identity. Drawing on years of working within arts organisations, with craft freelancers and practitioners, and across academia, Lauren values the relationships and stories that emerge when working with curiosity and in collaboration. Themes central to her work on the Creative Communities programme include co-creation, cultural democracy, and arts and culture as a mechanism for community activism.