When we first had to adjust our lives to COVID-19 and lockdown last March I thought that we would all have more time to do the things we don’t usually get time for. Opportunities for reading, research, and reflection were high on my list of priorities.
I was wrong and this last year has been harder and busier than I could have imagined. Ensuring we can deliver activities within new constraints, making the finances stack up, supporting staff, artists and others we work closely with, adjusting plans, and just being a stable place people can rely on all contributed to a year like no other. I think we all welcomed the break at Christmas and New Year with open arms.
Coming back to work in January was of course with the news of another national lockdown and an ever-increasing amount of people contracting the virus. We have again, as everyone has had to adjust our plans.
We are delaying aspects of our public-facing programme and supporting the artists involved to manage what impact this has on their plans. Everything that we can continue to do on-line or through the post, we will, so that we can continue to develop our relationship with our neighbours through projects such as the Neighbourhood Plan and the Heritage Action Zone pilot.
We are now comfortable with our Artists Support programmes such as Guild and our one-to-one sessions taking place online.
As ever, we are here if you feel we can help, or if you need some advice or support with a project.
We will continue to develop the Art Hostel with an opening planned for April 2021. You can find out more about recent developments and who the artists are we are working.
Happy New Year, Keep safe.
Other things!
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Artists
I'm Gonna Find You White Rabbit! by Silvia Liebig
Silvia Liebig's artist book I'm Gonna Find You White Rabbit!: Being Beeston Projekt 2019-2023 is now available to buy.
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Event
Reproductive Futures: Creative Workshop
Join artist Herfa Thompson and academic Zoe Tongue to explore your reproductive health experiences, responding to the duo's Reproductive Futures exhibition, in this visual art workshop.
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News
Welcome to our new trustees
We’re thrilled to welcome two new trustees to our Board following a recent round of open recruitment.
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News
Artist selected for Taipei artist residency
Leeds-based artist James Thompson has been selected for a sought-after six-week residency at Treasure Hill Artist Village in Taiwan, from August to September 2024.
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Commission
Making Public Art - a new interview series
We worked with some wonderful artists throughout 2023 to bring large-scale mural pieces to various locations across Leeds. We’ve been catching up with the artists, in a new series that looks at working with communities, sustainability, and their working process in creating public art.
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Artist support
No Going Back: exploring the archives
Here are some of our favourite images from last month's No Going Back exhibition, for anyone who may have missed it.