Sophie Frost

Bio

Sophie has an extensive research background working on ethnographic, action-centred projects with cultural and heritage organisations to build digital equity, capability, and resilience.

Between 2019-2022 she was senior researcher for 'One by One', a multi-partner, AHRC-funded, transatlantic initiative building digital confidence in museums led by the School of Museum Studies at University of Leicester. During 'One by One', Sophie was embedded in institutions including Royal Pavilion & Museums Brighton & Hove (working with the workforce to develop greater digital storytelling), Smithsonian Institution (supporting the development of digital leadership across this major federal arts and heritage organisation), and Science Museum Group (exploring the different kinds of digital labour that take place across this leading STEM heritage service). This culminated in the creation of three research podcasts: Voices of the Royal Pavilion & Museums (2020), People. Change. Museums. (2020-21) - which received a mention in Rolling Stone - and The Hidden Constellation (2022). Once again working with musician and producer Chris Thorpe-Tracey, Sophie is creating a new podcast series - The Output - presenting the people and ideas behind the Institute for Digital Culture at Leicester in its inaugural year (due for launch in Autumn 2023). Other recent projects include developing a new Research and Impact Framework for digital arts commissioner and Arts Council England NPO Threshold Studios, and working alongside Dr Daniel Mutibwa at University of Nottingham and staff from Leicestershire County Council on a 9-month QR-funded project to co-create a new cultural strategy for Leicestershire.

Sophie's work has always been sector facing - seeking to drive transformation in diverse cultural settings. In 2022, Sophie was invited to co-facilitate the Curatorial Digital Leadership initiative in the United States, a partnership between AAMC (Association of Art Museum Curators) and Culture24. She has presented her ideas and research on technology, digital labour and cultural work at conferences and events in both the UK and the US led by American Alliance of Museums (AAM), MuseWeb, Museums Association, AIM (the Association of Independent Museums), and Ars Electronica. In 2019, she co-led the 'Museum Digital Literacy Forum' at the American Alliance of Museums in Washington DC, facilitating round-table discussion with leaders from high-profile American cultural Institutions, policymakers and state funding bodies, including the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

In 2018, Sophie was AHRC Creative Economy Engagement Fellow at CAMEo (Cultural and Media Economies Institute) at University of Leicester, investigating the digital impact of Phoenix arts centre in the run up to its submission of a Stage 2 ACE Capital Grant bid. This resulted in two sector-facing publications: A Digital Roadmap for the Arts (2019), a sector-leading guide supported by Arts Council England, and a blueprint document profiling Phoenix's value as a digital leader.

Providing research-informed practice-led teaching, support and guidance to undergraduate and postgraduate students has been a pivotal aspect of Sophie's career. Prior to joining UCA, Sophie led the 'Creative Learning at Southbank Centre' case study module for King's College London's Education in Arts & Cultural Settings MA for four years. In 2022 she convened the new 'Digital Cultures, Digital Literacies' module for BA Arts Management students at Goldsmiths' College, and between 2018 and 2020 worked for De Montfort University leading the 'Cultural Leadership' module for the Arts and Festivals Management BA. Her teaching was directly informed by experiences leading large-scale high-profile arts events for Southbank Centre and British Film Institute, including arts festivals such as WOW (Women of the World) London, Unlimited (celebrating artists with disabilities), Africa Utopia, Nordic Matters, Meltdown, and London Film Festival.

Sophie received a PhD in Film & Visual Culture from the University of Aberdeen in 2016 entitled 'Art at Work: Creativity and Participation in the Public Cultural Institution.' She also has an MA in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths' College.