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Leeds University Library Galleries

@lulgalleries.bsky.social

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Highlights from Cultural Collections & Galleries @universityofleeds.bsky.social Free and open to all. Visit us at The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery, Treasures of the Brotherton, and Brotherton Research Centre. bit.ly/LULGWebsite

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Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · Aug 8

Now open!

FUAM 2025: The Friends of University Art and Music Graduate Art Prize 🎨🏆

Discover the freshest talent from Leeds’ art scene!

Each year a panel of judges select 4 finalists from @fahacs.bsky.social and School of Design @universityofleeds.bsky.social

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Room shot of the FUAM 2025 exhibition, a large white room with hanging brown textiles, warm lampshades, a grey architectural model, and ceramics on a wooden table.

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Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 8h

Applications are now open for six Student Internships with our pals @dcch-leeds.bsky.social

If you’re a 2nd or 3rd year student @universityofleeds.bsky.social and want to build digital skills while working with our Cultural Collections - apply now 👇

forms.office.com/pages/respon...

Closes 20 Oct

Red and yellow text over a photograph of two people sat at desks looking at old books that are resting on cushions. The text reads "Digital Creativity and Cultures Hub Student Internships Apply by 20 October"

Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 11h

May we present: the rap sheet of Richard del Ker 📜

Alright, not every entry on this Wakefield Manor Court Roll is about Richard, but he does appear an impressive 74 times in court documents between 1285-1325

Discover his *interesting* life on the blog
leedsunilibrary.wordpress.com/2025/10/02/r...

Full page of a court roll, a long rectangular, cream vellum document with writing in black ink. It is held in position by round black weights.

Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 2d

Let us know you're coming by booking a place via the link🎟
library.leeds.ac.uk/events/event...

The FUAM Graduate Art Prize is generously supported by Friends of University Art and Music.

#FUAM2025 #student #leedsuni #discoverleeds #gallery #exhibition

Prize-giving: FUAM 2025

The judges have chosen, now it’s time to find out which artist has won The Friends of University Art and Music Graduate Art Prize 2025

library.leeds.ac.uk

Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 2d

Reminder to Vote for FUAM – the People’s Choice Award! 🏅

Vote in gallery or online via bit.ly/VoteFUAM2025 🗳️

YOUR winner of the People's Choice Award will be announced alongside the overall FUAM Graduate Art Prize winner at the prize-giving ceremony on 14 October.

Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 5d

Enjoy this unique chance to connect with other changemakers or creatives, explore the exhibition, see the short film, and chat over collage with SASHA 💛

Let us know you’re coming 🎟
library.leeds.ac.uk/events/event...

Share with a friend who will join you in the fight for safer spaces for all ✊

Animation Showcase: SASHA x Cultural Collections & Galleries

Celebrate a brand new animation by SASHA (Students Against Sexual Harassment & Assault), inspired by activism in the archives.

library.leeds.ac.uk

Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 5d

Created by Shania Bowie and Imogen Harvey-Lewis with SASHA Society, the hand-drawn short film explores how animation can be used in activism against sexual violence.

It was commissioned by Cultural Collections & Galleries in response to Animated Activism: Women Empowered

bit.ly/AnimatedActivism

Animated Activism: Women Empowered

An exhibition to get angry about.

bit.ly

Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 5d

You're invited to the launch of a new animation inspired by activism in the archives 🎥 [CW: mentions of sexual violence]

Join SASHA (Students Against Sexual Harassment & Assault) for the premiere of ‘Missed Call’

Friday 10 Oct
17:00 - 21:00
Free and open to all
library.leeds.ac.uk/events/event...

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Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 6d

Hear even more about Mitzi Cunliffe and the Man-Made Fibres sculpture with a stop on our Public Art Audio Trail 🎧

soundcloud.com/lulgalleries...

📷 BAFTA Cymru for Elaine Morgan, 2002. Pontypridd Museum 2013.71
📷 Man-Made Fibres, 1956. LEEUA 1956.013

06 Mitzi Cunliffe's 'Man-Made Fibres', with Ann Sumner

The American sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe (née Solomon) was born in New York and studied Fine Art at Columbia University from 1935-40. She married a British academic, and they moved to England in 1949, set

soundcloud.com

Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 6d

It's #celebrations for today's @artukdotorg.bsky.social #OnlineArtExchange 🎉

We're spotlighting Mitzi Cunliffe - designer of the iconic BAFTA mask celebrating TV excellence since 1955, and creator of Man-Made Fibres for the #unveiling of a new @universityofleeds.bsky.social building in 1956.

Bronze mask on a granite stand with a plaque which reads BAFTA CYMRU

Stone carving of two hands cradling interwoven lengths of thread in a lattice pattern, situated on the top of a building.

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Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 7d

Have your say! Visitors are encouraged to vote for their favourite artist for the People’s Choice Award.

So, who was your favourite artist? 🧑‍🎨❤️

bit.ly/VoteFUAM2025

People's Choice Award - FUAM 2025: The Friends of University Art and Music Graduate Art Prize

Celebrating its 13th year, the the FUAM Graduate Art Prize exhibition showcases and celebrates the artistic talent of students completing BA studies in Art and Design and Fine Art at the University…

bit.ly

Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 7d

Remember to book your FREE place to the exhibition event 🎟️

Date: Tuesday 14 October 2025
Time: 17:30 – 18:30
Location: The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery

library.leeds.ac.uk/events/event...

Prize-giving: FUAM 2025

The judges have chosen, now it’s time to find out which artist has won The Friends of University Art and Music Graduate Art Prize 2025

library.leeds.ac.uk

Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 7d

Celebrate the artists of FUAM 2025! ✨

We welcome you to this year's Friends of University Art and Music Graduate Art Prize ceremony.

We will announce the winner of the FUAM Graduate Art Prize and the People's Choice Award. Scroll down to have your say!

A group of people are looking at various artworks in the gallery space. In focus is a woman looking up at a large sculpture of woven burlap and thread, suspended from the ceiling.

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Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 8d

We celebrated Harrison’s 1993 play Poetry or Bust with a display in Treasures of the Brotherton.

bit.ly/PoetryOrBust

Our upcoming exhibition of artists from working-class backgrounds, [uz], [uz], [uz], takes its name from another of his poems, Them & [uz].

bit.ly/WritingThemA...

Poetry or Bust: Tony Harrison on the Trail of 'The Bingley Byron'

An oboe buried on a moor; a lichen-encrusted name carved into a rock; a lost grave; an empty plinth in a Bingley park; a chipped Burmantofts ceramic plaque...

bit.ly

Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 8d

“The archive is one of the highlights of our collections, and one of the best used for teaching and research. It has international reach – people come from all over the world to access it. Its significance lies both in Harrison’s stature as a poet, and how it documents his life and creativity.”

A colour photograph of an older gentleman standing in the woods. He wears a blue jacket and is holding a bottle of wine.

Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 8d

“Tony Harrison was a poet of Leeds – moulded by the city – and his time at the University was central to his development”, says our Literary Archivist, Sarah Prescott.

“The University of Leeds was very lucky to be offered Harrison’s archive in 2007.”

bit.ly/TonyHarrison...

Tony Harrison Archive - Library | University of Leeds

Type of record: Archive

bit.ly

Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 8d

We were deeply saddened to learn of the death over the weekend of the great Leeds-born poet and dramatist Tony Harrison, at the age of 88.

Born in Beeston in 1937, Harrison won a scholarship to Leeds Grammar School and later enrolled as a student at @universityofleeds.bsky.social in the late 1950s.

A black and white photograph of an older gentleman with short hair. He is smiling and resting his chin on his hand.

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Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 12d

📸

3. Esme McLean, ‘A Full House’, 2025. ©The Artist
4. Hannah Slater, ‘Slater Studio’, 2025. ©The Artist
5. Alice Boot, ‘Sweeping Fibre’, 2025. ©The Artist
6. Alexandra Rosenthal, ‘Beyond the Façade’, 2025 (detail). ©The Artist
7. Farwa Rizwi, 'Day Eleven, 2023. ©The Artist

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Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 12d

And general round of applause for our talented, thoughtful and truly fantastic Visitor Services team please...

The best guides with the best insider info 👏

Plan your visit : bit.ly/FUAM2025

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Architectural model of a grey block of flats, and miniature room interiors. Text overlay reads: And finally, Alexandra Rosenthal’s architectural dreamscape “Beyond the Façade” captured me entirely. Her balance of brutalist structures and intimate emotional interiors is exquisite. The harmony she’s created between structure and sentiment is deeply affecting. Her piece doesn’t just speak to you, it gives you a space to speak back, to imagine yourself in the rooms she’s opened.

Deep red oil painting of horses. Text overlay reads: As I wandered the exhibition, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own time as a student in FAHACS. I remember the freedom we were given to experiment, to explore, to fail gloriously and grow from it. The generous guidance from tutors, the support among fellow students, those were the foundations that shaped me. Seeing these new artists, emerging with such strong voices, feels like a full-circle moment.

Hands applying and peeling a vinyl on a white wall. Text overlay reads: The FUAM Prize plays an essential role in supporting artists at this critical, transitional moment. It empowers graduates to keep creating, keep questioning, and keep growing. In today’s challenging cultural atmosphere, that support is vital. And as a community, we owe it to ourselves to show up for our emerging creatives.

Alice, Esme and Alexandra stand in front of Hannah's hanging lamps. Text overlay reads: These four artists; Esme, Hannah, Alice, and Alexandra aren’t just names on a shortlist. They’re voices shaping the future of contemporary art. And I, for one, am grateful to be witnessing their beginnings.

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Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 12d

From behind-the-scenes of installation, to resonances with her own practice...

Read her beautiful reflections on becoming part of the process of the exhibition 🎨

Swipe through, or visit our blog: leedsunilibrary.wordpress.com/2025/09/18/b...

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Room shot of the FUAM 2025 art exhibition in a large white room. Text overlay reads: Walking into The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery this week, I felt a ripple of familiarity and wonder. The annual FUAM Graduate Art Prize Exhibition always sparks curiosity and connection, but this year, it feels deeply personal. As a staff member, an artist and a recent graduate of the University,
each body of work speaks a language
I know intimately. And I can honestly say that this year’s show is extraordinary.

Miniature ceramic scene of family home. Text overlay reads: Take Esme McLean’s diorama-like installations. Her tender reconstruction of family
triggered a wave of nostalgia I wasn’t prepared for. There’s something magical about the way she brings the home into the gallery, into my workplace. It’s like Esme has placed a piece of my own childhood on display.

Three white, wavey lamps on a shelf. Text overlay reads: Then there’s Hannah Slater’s lighting designs; sculptural, modular, quietly powerful. Light isn’t just illumination. It shapes mood, movement, memory. Her totemic forms blur the line between utility and emotion, between object and atmosphere. Her work doesn’t simply occupy space, it redefines how you experience it.

Brown burlap net over a black and white feathered drawing. Text overlay reads: Alice Boot’s raw, tactile exploration of fibre is equally compelling. There’s something beautifully unsettling in the way they unravel, reconstruct, and entangle burlap. A material often overlooked but here treated with reverence and resistance. It is work that insists on being felt as much as seen; asking you to reconsider the value of what appears fragile, frayed, or incomplete.

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Leeds University Library Galleries @lulgalleries.bsky.social · 12d

New to Leeds - or never visited us before?

Get to know our current exhibition, with someone in the know!

Farwa is a local artist, current staff member, and a previous student at @fahacs.bsky.social @universityofleeds.bsky.social ✨

Take her tour around the FUAM 2025 Graduate Art Prize 👇

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