The Speaking Garden is a multimedia installation inspired by the British Library’s Unearthed: The Power of Gardening exhibition, Leeds Libraries special collections and the gardeners and growers of Leeds, created by Buffalo Sound Design.

You can expect a peaceful space for reflection with colourful projected visuals and a soothing soundscape that includes a growing ‘garden of voices’ who will share what gardening or growing means to them and what they’ve learned that they would pass on to others.

'Northern Soul', A powerful new exhibition of original paintings and prints by Leeds -based artist Chris Eastham.

Through expressive portraiture and archive inspired painting, Chris explores Northern Identity, drawing on her Yorkshire roots and lived experience.

You may know Chris from Sky Portrait Artist of the Year - now you can see her work up close AND get involved creatively yourself!

Two portrait workshops are available in September at £15 each;  

17th September, 6.30-8.30pm, Colour Mixing for Portrait Painting.

Collaborative art works by Yorkshire Artists Mel Davies and Kim Coley in the Spinning Mill Loft at Sunny Bank Mills

Over the last two years, Mel Davies and Kim Coley, two established Yorkshire artists, have worked simultaneously,  painting on Canvas to create a series of art works that blend their individual styles and characteristic brushwork. The show has been curated by them and is displayed in the abandoned and atmospheric Loft space in the Spinning Mill at Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley. 

'Not Far From Here' by Khloe Baker on display at Further North.

Khloe Baker creates anecdotal illustrations, collecting passing experiences that evoke a sense of belonging or familiarity. Layering coloured pencils and sometimes paper, she creates with an intuitive energy in an effort to catch a fleeting moment. Her affection for buildings and the stories which inhabit them are a repeating motif of her work, documenting incidental scenes such as the snow outside of a bakery, people gathered outside of a cinema, or a haircut in Hyde Park.

We’re bringing a selection of Artists Around Wetherby members into the heart of our market town for a month-long exhibition.

Preview Evening – 29 August, 6:30–8:30pm
Browse original art, meet the participating artists, and enjoy drinks from Bottle and Bean across the courtyard.

Open Tuesdays–Saturdays, 10am–4pm
Take your time exploring the full exhibition — from painting to collage, textiles to digital art. (PLEASE ALSO CHECK VENUE WEBSITE FOR ANY OPENING TIME CHANGES BEFORE YOU SET OFF.)

Aíslíng is a set-built installation by Megan McClean designed to represent a traditional bedsit, exploring the experiences of Irish women living in England. Through storytelling, moving image, painting, music, and other artistic forms, Aíslíng delves into themes of migration, identity, and loss. It highlights how these women navigate grief and memory while building lives far from home. The installation becomes a space of reflection and resilience, capturing personal and collective narratives that often go unheard. 

“Inspire to Inspire” is a free public community art exhibition and programme of events that will be held in Leeds, to celebrate the beautiful works of the late Artist and Fashion Designer, Joshua Van Leader, and help break down the stigma surrounding mental health and addiction.

It will take place at New York Square (NYSQ) in Leeds, from 8 July to 30 September 2025, and will showcase and celebrate Joshua’s work and life, who passed away in 2022, after losing his battle with his own mental health.

What does it mean to take up space — to leave a trace, to reach outward, to say: I’m here and this matters?

Gesture is the first exhibition from the Resilient Artist Cohort, an artist-led development programme from Aire Place Studios that centres radical care, collective agency and creative risk. This isn’t about perfection or polish. It’s about process, autonomy and power — shifting who gets to speak, who gets seen, and who shapes the future of culture in Leeds.

From windowsills to allotments, Unearthed: The Power of Gardening explores how the act of gardening can heal and sustain people in a multitude of ways. It reveals how gardening can bring people together, empower communities and shape our relationship with the natural world. It also considers gardening as a form of activism, as a means of challenging land ownership and highlighting social disparities, as well as providing a global story about the movement of plants.