News / 01 Nov 2023
Recent graduates exhibit work in partnership with The Art House
BA (Hons) Fine Art
BA (Hons) Textile Design
As part of our growing partnership with The Art House, Wakefield, the exhibitions of recent BA (Hons) Fine Art and BA (Hons) Textile Design graduates, Sophie Jones and Sophie Amelia Gratton open on Thursday 2 November.
The Art House has mentored and supported a number of Leeds Arts University students and alumni through the exhibition process, providing insight into what more goes on than simply turning up and putting up work. Sophie Jones’s 'A Tangled Thread' and Sophie Amelia’s 'Authentic Expression' are the latest exhibitions in a series of opportunities that The Art House have worked on with Leeds Arts University. Other exhibitions have also included Erika Pearce and Hollie Wilson’s installation 'The Body and No Body' and Bex Blayney and Algeria Repila Smith’s 'doubleTHINK'.
"It's been a pleasure to work with Leeds Arts University on this project, it has provided a great structure for us to support young artists and designers and it's been wonderful to work so closely with each student, designing the project as we go, to fit their individual needs. The four exhibitions have all been so different and we have learnt so much from each of them."
Lucy Norton, The Art House Project Coordinator.
Sophie Jones’s ‘A Tangled Thread’ which celebrates childhood mark making and exploring young parenthood at the intersection of hand-embroidery, will be on display in The Art House’s Learning Space from 2 November 2023 until 2 January 2024. Sophie Amelia’s ‘Authentic Expression’ collection which is made for neurodivergent women and femme-aligned people who want to celebrate their authentic identities and start to make their spaces work for them, is on display in Wakefield Cathedral from 2 November 2023 until 4 December 2023.
Having the opportunity to install, curate, and fully realise ‘A Tangled Thread’ has been invaluable in building my confidence as a recent graduate and early career artist. The team at The Art House and additionally the guidance and funding I have received from Leeds Arts University as part of the scheme has allowed me to overcome various barriers to exhibiting my work. The exhibition is the culmination of a 12-month project in which I have created over 9 metres of hand-embroidered tapestry, and I am incredibly grateful for the support provided throughout the project, without which I would not have been able to consolidate such ambitiously scaled pieces.
Sophie Jones, BA (Hons) Fine Art graduate.
“It has been incredible to be supported in continuing to exhibit my work post-graduation particularly in such a grand setting of Wakefield Cathedral and I’m looking forward to going on to develop new collections now as a graduate.”
Sophie Amelia Gratton, BA (Hons) Textile Design graduate.