Schools & group visits
We welcome schools, colleges and community groups for free guided exhibition tours and creative workshops.
Our educational activities make links to our exhibition programme, and provide excellent opportunities for focused and enriching learning experiences.
We encourage people of all ages to engage with sculpture as learners, thinkers and makers.
Exhibitions & guided tours
Our galleries hold regularly changing exhibitions of contemporary and historical sculpture.
We can give your group free guided tours and activities to do in the galleries, or your visit can be entirely self-directed if you’d prefer.
Find out more below
Creative workshops in The Studio
Our brand new learning and engagement space is perfect for creative workshops, presentations or group discussions.
The Studio is suitable for groups of up to 30 people, with flexible table setup and seating.
Find out more below
Library, archive & research facilities
For more advanced learners, our library and archive are outstanding resources for the study of sculpture.
We can provide introductory tours and run short research activities to familiarise students with our research facilities.
Find out more below
Galleries
Our main Sculpture Galleries hold regularly changing exhibitions of contemporary and historical sculpture. The smaller Study Gallery typically focuses on individual artists, often using works from the Leeds Sculpture Collection.
Over the bridge to Leeds Art Gallery, The Mezzanine features a permanent display detailing the rich history of sculpture in Leeds. We also curate exhibitions in the Archive Gallery below that explore the history of British sculptors.
Exhibition tours
We offer free guided visits of our exhibitions for groups of up to 20-25 people.
Our staff have a wealth of knowledge about the artists and artworks in our exhibitions, and can give tours to suit all abilities and age ranges.
Creative activities
For primary and secondary schools, we can also offer short creative activities inspired by the artwork on display.
You can do these activities in the galleries, in our Studio space, or take them back to the classroom if you’d prefer.
Self-directed visits
You’re welcome to lead your own tours of our exhibitions, but you still need to book in advance.
This is so we can check your visit doesn’t clash with other groups, and make sure there’s enough space in the galleries for everyone.
Larger groups
We can accommodate larger groups, but we’ll split you up and alternate taking you into different exhibitions, so that the galleries don’t get too crowded.
Please note that if you’re planning on using The Studio for lunch, the maximum capacity is 30 people at once.
Visiting Leeds Art Gallery
We work in close partnership with our neighbours at Leeds Art Gallery and can run parallel visits for larger groups.
[Note: I couldn’t find anything about LAG’s facilities, is there anything we can put in here e.g. lunch rooms?]
Photos from our current exhibitions
Hany Armanious: Stone Soup | Sculpting Royalty: Hew Locke and Mary Thornycroft | A History of Sculpture in Leeds.
The Studio
Our brand new learning and engagement space is perfect for creative workshops, presentations or group discussions.
You can also use the Studio as a lunch space for school groups, or for classroom activities after visiting our galleries.
Creative workshops
Our team can work with you to run workshops that complement your teaching interests or curriculum, inspired by our exhibition programme.
If you already have plans for what you want to do, you’re welcome to use The Studio to run your own activities.
Workshops with local artists
We work closely with many creatives in Leeds and the surrounding areas, and can help facilitate workshops covering a range of different practices and techniques.
We don’t charge for this, however the artist may ask for a fee to cover their time and materials.
Flexible set up
The Studio is suitable for groups of up to 30 people, with flexible table setup and seating.
Presentation screen
There is a large, 75″ TV screen that you can use for giving presentations or showing videos to your students.
Washing-up facilities
The Studio has its own washing-up facilities, with two sinks at different heights for cleaning up after messy activities.
Toilets
The Studio has its own private toilets, comprising three gender-neutral superloos (self-contained cubicles with a toilet and sink), one of which is fully accessible.
Quiet space
There is a side room attached to The Studio that can be used as a quiet space for students with additional needs, with comfortable seating and tables.
Bag storage
There are coat hooks and storage bins for your students’ coats and bags. The Studio will be locked when you’re not using it, so your belongings will be secure while you look around the galleries.
Library & archive
Our library and archive are outstanding resources for older students interested in studying sculpture.
Sculpture Research Library
The library contains over 30,000 books, with a particularly strong focus on British sculptors.
We welcome older students to explore this unique reference resource, and study sculpture in our beautifully designed reading rooms.
Archive of Sculptors’ Papers
This fascinating collection tells the story of British sculpture through photographs, letters, drawings and sketchbooks, alongside film, digital records and even tools and costume.
Introductory tours
We can provide introductory tours to our research facilities, suitable for secondary school age students and upwards.
Research activities
For KS5 and FE, we can also run short research activities to familiarise students with our extensive sculpture library.
Library displays
We use a display space in the library to highlight rare books and archival material from our collection.
Plan your visit
Booking information
Dates & times
Arrange your tour at a time that suits you. We are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–17:00.
For SEN groups, we have some availability on Mondays when the galleries are otherwise closed to visitors. Please contact us using the form below if you’d like to discuss visiting on a Monday.
Length of visits
We typically offer slots for morning or afternoon visits, with guided tours lasting one hour per exhibition.
Alternatively, you can come for the whole day. Take a guided tour of our exhibitions in the morning, use The Studio as a breakout space for lunch, and then spend the afternoon doing a creative workshop.
Supervising adults
Primary schools: at least two adults per 20 students.
Secondary schools: at least one adult per 20 students, plus an additional adult.
Colleges & universities: at least one adult per 20 students.
Facilities and accessibility
We aim to make our exhibitions accessible to as many people as possible.
If you have questions about your visit, please contact us using the form below, and we will do our best to make your visit as smooth as possible.
Step-free access to the Institute
There is an accessible lift entrance to the Institute from Cookridge Street, which opens into our ground floor reception area. The doors to the lift provide an opening of 100cm, with a platform 148cm deep.
Inside the building, there is a passenger lift that goes to all floors. It is 100cm wide by 136cm deep, with a doorway 72cm wide.
Accessing Leeds Art Gallery from the Institute
A bridge links the Henry Moore Institute and Leeds Art Gallery, accessible by a staircase in the first room of our Sculpture Galleries.
There is no step-free route to Leeds Art Gallery from within our building. To enter Leeds Art Gallery step-free, you will need to exit the Institute and enter Leeds Art Gallery using the ramp at the front of the building.
Touch tours
Depending on the nature of our exhibitions, it is sometimes possible to do touch tours.
If you are interested in doing a touch tour, please try to give us as much notice as possible so that we can work with our lenders to see if this is possible.
Toilets
We have five gender-neutral superloos (self-contained cubicles with a toilet and sink) on the basement level, including one that is fully accessible, and one with baby changing facilities.
The Studio has its own private toilets, comprising three gender-neutral superloos, one of which is fully accessible.
Coat and bag storage
If you are using The Studio, there are coat hooks and storage bins for your students’ coats and bags. The Studio will be locked when you’re not using it, so your belongings will be secure while you look around the galleries.
If you’re not using The Studio, there are lockers on the basement level and in the library.
Lunches
You are welcome to use The Studio as a lunch space for school groups (as long as this is booked in advance).
We don’t have our own café, however next door there is the Tiled Hall Café at Leeds Art Gallery.
Getting here
Our gallery in Leeds is a world-recognised centre for the study and enjoyment of sculpture.
Henry Moore Institute
74 The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 3AH
T: 01132 467 467
E: reception@henry-moore.org
Coaches
The nearest drop off bays for coaches are on Great George Street, behind Leeds Town Hall.
By Train
We are only a few minutes away from Leeds train station (station code LDS).
By Bus
We are around a 15-minute walk from the city centre bus station. Numerous buses also stop just outside the Institute on The Headrow.
Book your visit to the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
Fill out the form below, and we’ll be in touch to discuss your visit and available dates.
Please note that your booking is not confirmed until you’ve heard back from our team.
See this page for group visits to Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, Hertfordshire.
Art Encounters
Art Encounters is a series of free short films for schools with accompanying resources, supporting teachers and learners to think about art.
They invite viewers to discuss first responses to artworks, and learn about the artist and their inspirations.
Each Art Encounter concludes with a creative challenge, which can be used as part of a programme of study, or as a stand-alone activity undertaken in school or at home.
Collaborative projects
Find out more about projects we’ve run in collaboration with colleges, universities and other partners.
