Leeds Arts University exhibition celebrates the legacy of Yorkshire’s art schools

‘The Art Schools of Yorkshire’ is the latest iteration of John Beck’s and Matthew Cornford’s ambitious ‘Art School Project’ to locate and document the nation’s art school buildings or the sites upon which they once stood. Featuring new photographs of more than twenty Yorkshire art schools, the exhibition explores the rich and varied history of art education in the county.

Leeds (1846) was one of the earliest art schools to be established in Britain, alongside Sheffield (1843) and York (1842). Emerging out of Victorian industrial ambition and commitment to public education, the British art school system developed, by the end of the nineteenth century, into a complex network of institutions providing training and exposure to the arts for thousands of workers and students across the country.

Leeds College of Art (now Leeds Arts University), in particular, played a significant role in the development of the Bauhaus-inspired Basic Design approach to art and design education during the postwar period (1950s–1970s). By the mid-1960s, there were still over 150 art schools in the UK, by which time ‘art school’ had become shorthand for creative innovation across the arts, design, music and advertising.

Yet at the peak of their influence on British cultural life, art schools in many towns and cities were already being amalgamated, reorganised and rebranded as part of a drive to reshape education in the arts. Most art schools have long since been absorbed into larger institutions, many of the buildings repurposed or demolished. Beck and Cornford’s project combines photography, text, and archival materials to explore the histories and legacies of Britain’s art schools and examine the vital role art schools have played, and continue to play, in the cultural and economic life of our towns and cities.

Marianna Tsionki, Associate Professor and University Curator at Leeds Arts University, said: “As we celebrate 180 years of Leeds Arts University, this exhibition invites us to reflect on the rich and often overlooked histories of Yorkshire’s art schools and the communities that shaped them. By bringing Beck and Cornford’s photographic survey into dialogue with material from our own archive, we hope to illuminate how art education has continually evolved in response to cultural, social, and political change. The exhibition celebrates the legacy of the British art school while creating a space for dialogue about its future—raising timely questions about the role of the arts and art education today in relation to community, history, and identity.”

Alongside Beck and Cornford’s photographic survey, the exhibition presents a curated selection of records from Leeds Arts University’s Archive, spanning the Blenheim Walk Gallery and the University Library, offering an intimate, material insight into the evolution of art education in Leeds. These include interior photographs and architectural drawings from the historic Vernon Street building; photographs of student work from the Basic Design era; and documents tracing the institution’s expansion as Jacob Kramer College to the Blenheim Walk site, including staff reports, space-planning forms, and prospectuses. Together, these archives illuminate pedagogical, architectural, and cultural shifts that shaped art education in the region.

The exhibition aims to celebrate the histories and legacies of the British art school and also to create a space for dialogue and debate, raising questions about the role of the arts and art education today in relation to community, history, and identity. It is curated by Assoc. Prof. Marianna Tsionki, Ruth Viccars and Aoife Larkin, and will be accompanied by a public programme of events and workshops focused on the role of arts education in the region.

‘The Art Schools of Yorkshire’ is open from 26 February - 18 April 2026 at the Blenheim Walk Gallery, and the University Library at Leeds Arts University.

The archival displays within the University Library must be viewed by appointment. To ensure access to this part of the exhibition, please arrange your visit with as much notice as possible by emailing: aoife.larkin@leeds-art.ac.uk.

More information, including full opening hours can be found HERE

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Header Image: Keighley School of Art (1870), Lord Street, Keighley.