Cemre Demiralp (she/her) is a transdisciplinary leader focused on fostering community and sustainable ecosystems within art and design that empower artists and designers. At Emily Carr University, she leads the innovation and creative entrepreneurship portfolio, developing programs, partnerships, and resources that support artists, designers, and creative entrepreneurs in moving ideas into practice.

Through strategic partnerships and cross-sector initiatives, Cemre connects art and design practice with entrepreneurship, applied research, industry collaboration, and community-based opportunities that help artists and designers develop, test, and sustain their work. Her portfolio builds on a design practice shaped by initiatives such as the Art Apprenticeship Network (co-designed with Kate Armstrong) and Fibreshed Field School (co-designed with Emily Huizenga, Hélène Day Fraser, and Kate Armstrong)—innovative partnered programs that produce shared value for all interest holders by aligning student learning, partner priorities, and sector needs into practical pathways for mentorship, paid experience, applied collaboration, and creative entrepreneurship. Across her work at the Shumka Centre, she has supported over 400 emerging entrepreneurs, facilitated mentorship from industry experts, and developed tailored resources with artists, designers, startups, cultural organizations, and sector partners.

Before joining Emily Carr University, Cemre built her practice in the contemporary art sector through collaborations with arts and culture organizations globally and work alongside established artists including Kerry James Marshall, Yoko Ono, Solange Knowles, Ian Wallace, and Vik Muniz. Her sector experience also includes governance work as former chair of the Vancouver Art Book Fair Board of Governors. She holds a double major in Art History and Political Science from the University of British Columbia and an MBA in Sustainable Innovation from the University of Victoria. The anglicized pronunciation of her name is “gem (like the stone) – ray.”