The four art galleries that form the Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle have secured funding of £750,000 for a new project: an international sculpture triennial called the Yorkshire Sculpture International.
Investment from the Arts Council England’s Ambition for Excellence programme means that the Triangle – which encompasses the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds Art Gallery, The Hepworth Wakefield and Yorkshire Sculpture Park – will deliver its ‘most ambitious collaborative project to date’.
What is Yorkshire Sculpture International?
Yorkshire Sculpture International, due to take place from July to September 2019 across Leeds and Wakefield, will see collaborative artistic programming, talent and audience development, new outdoor commissions and international commissioning partnerships.
The project will ‘consolidate Yorkshire’s reputation as the best place to see contemporary and modern sculpture’, building on the region’s history as the birthplace of Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore.
It will also showcase the area’s commitment to collecting, commissioning, exhibiting, studying and promoting sculpture.
Organisers say that the project will greatly extend the reach and ambition of each organisation, sharing expertise and resources to build new alliances locally and internationally.
The Leeds and Wakefield-based organisations will now begin phase one of their planning to bring the project to reality, with an engagement programme beginning in July 2018.
Sarah Maxfield, area director north for the Arts Council England said: “Yorkshire has long been celebrated for its wealth of world class sculpture and I’m delighted that we are funding this project through our Ambition for Excellence programme.
“Yorkshire Sculpture International will illustrate how the region is a world centre for cultural excellence in sculpture and I’m looking forward to seeing the new commissions”.
For more information and to keep up to date with the progress of the Yorkshire Sculpture International, visit www.ysculpture.co.uk.
Pictured: Henry Moore’s Sheep Piece. (Photo credit: HenryMooreFoundation).
