Open Call: Sculpture Network 2025
The deadline to apply for the YSI Sculpture Network 2025 has now passed.
About the YSI Sculpture Network
Yorkshire Sculpture International (YSI) is a partnership between Henry Moore Institute, Leeds Art Gallery, The Hepworth Wakefield and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Yorkshire has a world-renowned sculptural legacy rooted in the work of pioneering sculptors Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, who grew up in the region. Our partnership is committed to the future of this legacy and continues to celebrate Yorkshire as a hub of sculptural excellence.
Central to this vision is nurturing the community of contemporary sculptors who situate their practice here, most notably with our joint professional development offer, the YSI Sculpture Network. We are excited to launch this open call for the next edition of this programme, Sculpture Network 2025, which will begin this summer.
The YSI Sculpture Network focuses on developing creative practice and pathways in Yorkshire, building regional and national connections, career opportunities and increasing engagement with sculpture. Since the network launch in 2020, we have supported nearly fifty artists working across expanded and interdisciplinary approaches to sculpture.
The launch of Sculpture Network 2025 is an exciting moment to build on the existing community, creative energy and the growing legacy and positive impact of our previous programmes. We aim to bridge the gaps across the urban, rural and coastal areas of our region and establish lasting connections and ecologies of practice for showing, sharing and engaging with contemporary sculpture.
This summer programme will take place over three months from July to early October 2025 and will be based across our partner venues, both in-person and online.
More information
Eligibility
- The network is open to artists living in Yorkshire who work with sculpture, or who have an ambition to develop their practice in this area.
- You can be at any stage of your career – early, mid, or returning to practice.
- The Sculpture Network artists will be chosen by a panel. The panel will consist of representatives from across the YSI partnership, an artist, and a regional art professional.
- When selecting, the panel will consider geographical and social diversity, as well as diversity in practice.
Benefits
- Selected artists will be given an £800 fee as part of the network and assistance with travel and access costs to attend in-person and regional events.
- Artists will be given 1-to-1 mentoring and the opportunity to work with the curatorial and engagement teams from the Yorkshire Sculpture International partnership and selected external contributors.
- You will also have access to Henry Moore Institute’s Research Library and free entry to all Yorkshire Sculpture International partners for the duration of the programme.
Expectations
- As a participating artist you will be invited to contribute ideas which will feed into and help shape the content of the talks, workshops, mentoring, visits and social/networking events.
- We welcome a willingness to talk and think together in an open and exploratory way to bring inclusive and relevant perspectives on artistic practice and approaches.
- You will be asked to document your activities (photos and/or videos) throughout the programme and regularly upload to a shared folder for documentation, feedback and evaluation.
- The core elements of the Network will include workshops and professional support events, artist talks, visits, 1-to-1 mentoring and resource/research materials.
- As a participating artist you will be expected to attend both the in-person and online sessions as much as possible.
Time commitments
- 3 x full days for in-person workshops.
- 3 x 2 hours of professional support (hybrid online/in person).
- 3 x 1.5 hours to attend online artist talks.
- 2 x full days for social and industry in-person visits.
- Mentoring sessions, to be decided with your mentor.
