Heritage Open Day – Sculpture by Women: Public Art Walk

Join us on a walking tour around the University of Leeds campus as we focus on work by women in the Public Art collection.

The exhibition If Not Now, When? Generations of Women in Sculpture in Britain, 1960 – 2022 (at The Hepworth Wakefield until 15 October 2023) explores the lives and work of sculptor women in Britain. The exhibition is the culmination of a feminist research project Hepworth’s Progeny: Generation of Women in Sculpture in Britain, 1960 – 2022 and shows work by women who responded to the original 1988 survey and the 2022 survey.

On this walk join Dr Anna Frances Douglas, co- curator of If Not Now, When? and Layla Bloom, Curator, University of Leeds Art Collection, to look at work by sculptor women sited on the University of Leeds campus. The walk will take in the large scale environmental installation Meet, Sit and Talk by sculptor Lorna Green, whose 1980s M.Phil. research into the lives of women in sculpture provided the impetus for The Hepworth exhibition. The walk will also encompass mid-century sculptures by Barbara Hepworth and Mitzi Cunliffe, and recent commissions by Sara Barker and Liliane Lijn.

After an introduction in The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery we will be on our feet in the open air for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes, come rain or shine! Please wear appropriate footwear and clothing. The walk route includes some steps, please contact us if you would like to discuss step-free options.

Heritage Open Days runs from 8 – 17 September 2023. To find out about other events visit https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/

Image: Man-Made Fibres by Mitzi Cunliffe (1918-2006), one of the sculptures that will be visited during the event.