Stuart Cunningham: From creative industries to creative economies, and beyond

This paper explores Stuart Cunningham’s thought leadership in ‘creative’ spaces since the turn of the millennium. It presents the author's personal glimpses of Cunningham's contributions to scholarship and advocacy, ranging from Cunningham and Hartley's exposé on the recently-titled creative industries at the National Humanities and Social Sciences Summit (Canberra, 2001), through the establishment of QUT's Centre of Excellence (Brisbane, 2005) and its European node (London, 2008), to Cunningham's more recent work with creative economies and their opportunities, including his influence upon Australia's Cultural and Creative Economy: A 21st-Century Guide (Canberra, 2020). The paper concludes with some comments about continuing resistance to substantial investment in Australia's creative industries, and Cunningham's call for a more united voice in their advocacy.