Sculpture research programme
The Henry Moore Institute’s sculpture research programme places sculpture at the centre of current art historical scholarship and actively encourages new research.
Sculpture research at the Henry Moore Institute operates across disciplines and art forms, engaging with performance, drawing, photography or architecture, or with wider fields such as politics or anthropology.
We pride ourselves on being a hub of contact and exchange, generating and supporting research networks that extend beyond the confines of academia.
Research seasons
Each year our research programme is organised into specific areas of enquiry, explored through themed Research Seasons. Each season includes a range of research events, conferences, lectures, film screenings and discussions, designed to showcase new thinking on different aspects of sculpture.
The Weight of Words
Summer & Autumn 2023
Programmed alongside our major exhibition of sculpture and poetry at the Henry Moore Institute, this research season explores the profound connections between the plastic and linguistic qualities of words, in ways that range from the humorous to the haunting.
Find out more and see upcoming events
Explore our previous research seasons, and watch recordings of talks, conferences and performances.
See all previous research seasons
Upcoming conferences and events
Guided tour
The Weight of Words free guided tours
15:00–15:30
Guided tour and talk
Bradford’s Civic Future: the Art of Kirkgate Market
14:00–16:00
Book your free ticket
Poetry reading and discussion
Caroline Bergvall & Vidyan Ravinthiran
18:00–19:00
Book your free ticket
Discussion
Lucy Alford & John Douglas Millar
18:00–19:00
Book your free ticket
Opportunities
Visiting research fellowships
Our fellowships enable artists and researchers to develop their work, spending a month in Leeds using our resources.
Applications for our next round of fellowships will open in spring 2024.
Calls for papers
We hold conferences on a range of sculpture topics at the Institute in Leeds, Studios & Gardens in Hertfordshire, and with external partner venues.
We do not currently have any active calls for papers.
Dissertation Prize
Open to BA and MA students of all disciplines, each year we award two prizes for outstanding pieces of writing on contemporary, modern or historical sculpture.
Submissions for our 2023 prize will open in autumn.
Our research facilities
We encourage researchers at all levels to seek our advice and make use of our world-class archive, library and sculpture collections in Leeds.
Sculpture Research Library
With more than 30,000 books, exhibition catalogues, journals and audio-visual items, the library is an outstanding resource for studying sculpture.
Archive of Sculptors’ Papers
The working lives of hundreds of sculptors are captured in their photographs, letters, drawings and sketchbooks, alongside film, digital records and even tools and costume.
Leeds sculpture collection
We oversee the development of Leeds Museums and Galleries’ sculpture collections, a partnership that has built one of the strongest collections of British sculpture in the country.
Online research resources
Collaboration is at the heart of our research programme.
We have jointly funded and collaborated in a number of initiatives intended to consolidate primary resources for the study of sculpture.
Essays on Sculpture
Essays on Sculpture is the journal of the Henry Moore Institute, tacking a diverse range of subjects, disciplines and styles to investigate the important role that sculpture plays in the world at large.
Visit us
Henry Moore Institute
Experience, study and enjoy sculpture from around the world in the centre of Leeds.
74 The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 3AH
United Kingdom
T: 01132 467 467
E: reception@henry-moore.org
