Five artists given grant under £50k Leeds City College Arts Fund

Funded by Luminate Education Group, the grant provides first step support to new and developing creative talent across the district, working in any of the disciplines covered by creative arts at the Quarry Hill Campus, such as art, textiles, musical theatre and film.

The five artists are Leeds band Polo, painter Lydia Blakeley, Steve Clarkson, visual artist Annabel Taylor-Munt and female-led audio documentary initiative, Better Songs.

Polo will create their first album and will be engaging students in the creative process while recording at Quarry Hill while Lydia will use the grant for her project ‘Vocation’, to create work for an exhibition at Quarry Hill Campus’s public gallery BLANK_ in February 2021.

Steve, founder of Found Fiction, will work with a team of writers from across Leeds as part of his ‘Street Stories’ street literature project which captures Quarry Hill voices past, present and future while Better Songs will create the ‘Strangely Familiar Quarry Hill Podcast’ focusing on the history of Quarry Hill Flats and the historic photographs and recollections of Leeds photographer Peter Mitchell. Annabel’s ‘Community Living’ project will involve a student workshop and seven-minute film choreography, exploring the history of Quarry Hill’s community living, collective experiences of the residents and how the idea of community has changed throughout Leeds.

The fund was launched due to a significant lack of funding from national bodies for creative projects in the region. Richard Lee, from Leeds City College, said: “With the funding, ambitious local groups can excel through the use of our facilities and the ability to utilise relevant services. Quarry Hill is in the heart of the community and we’re privileged to be able to inspire others to continue this legacy.”