Artists in Yorkshire

Supporting Artists in Yorkshire

The Sculpture Network supports a network of artists who work in sculpture and are based in Yorkshire. The project was created out of a need to connect with other artists in the lockdown of 2020, and its success has continued it for second iteration in 2022.

Our Associate Artists programme gave five artists in Yorkshire a bursary and support with their professional development, inviting visiting artists to work with them and mentoring from our partner galleries.

Eleven artists have been commissioned to work on the engagement programme, exploring new ways to make work with people in Leeds and Wakefield.

Sculpture Network

The Sculpture Network was launched by Yorkshire Sculpture International to support artists and the development of their practice, and has returned in 2022 to support a second group of artists. Yorkshire-based artists working in sculpture attend fortnightly online meet-ups facilitated by an invited lead artist, curator, writer or researcher.

Associate Artists

Yorkshire Sculpture International selected five Associate Artists who were awarded grants of £7,500 each – Ryoko Akama from Huddersfield, Rhian Cooke from Leeds, Natalie Finnemore from Sheffield, Jill McKnight from Leeds, and Rosanne Robertson from Hebden Bridge.

Jill McKnight, said “As an artist, I was drawn to Leeds three and a half years ago due to the exciting and vibrant sculpture being made and exhibited in Leeds and Wakefield. It is therefore a huge honour to have been selected to take part in the programme. The support and mentoring will enable me to create a new, ambitious body of sculpture and to push my practice to the next level.”

Engagement Artists

We are supporting eleven artists to work closely with our partner galleries and   local communities in Leeds and Wakefield, including five West Yorkshire schools, to explore sculpture making today.

These artists are Emii Alrai, Bijan Amini-Alavijeh, Emily Binks, Bethan Hughes, Rachael Kidd, Rufus Newell, Zoe Spowage, RL Wilson, Alice Withers, Dawn Woolley, and   Zara Worth.

We also worked with Julia McKinlay who is Yorkshire Sculpture International’s PhD Researcher in partnership with Leeds Beckett University.