Lecture & archive handling session
Festival of Britain: introduction and archive handling
18:00–19:00
Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
About this event
Join us for this event exploring 1951’s Festival of Britain, looking deeper at the artists involved and the legacies of the festival.
This hybrid event will include a talk by researcher/photographer Lisa Brown, who has curated the current display in the Research Library, The Autobiography of a Nation: Celebrating 75 Years since the Festival of Britain.
Brown will introduce the display and give some background to the Festival of Britain. She will talk about the artists who were commissioned to make work for the site, and explore what happened to some of the artwork after the festival concluded.
There will also be an opportunity to meet archivist Sophie Smith and see sketchbooks, photographs and other items relating to the artists who were commissioned to make work for the Festival.
About the speaker
Lisa Brown is an independent researcher, writer, photographer and curator currently researching the mural works of Henry Collins and Joyce Pallot after receiving a research support grant from The Paul Mellon Foundation, and more recently a bursary from the Business Archives Council.
She trained as a graphic designer but now works as a library/gallery assistant for The Henry Moore Institute after taking a career break to look after her children. She has designed two photo-books for The Modernist Society, and a photo-book of her own photographic work, Post War Public Art, was published by them in August 2021.
Brown’s most recent publication was a photo-book of High Street Banks, which was published in March 2026 by Uhm Publishing and The Modernist. Her work relates to place, history and the built environment, which chimes with her research into public sculpture – particularly in proximity to retail and housing, but generally, that occupies non-traditional art spaces in the public realm.
Tickets
Tickets to this event are free, and can be booked online via Eventbrite.
If you’d prefer to book over the phone, please call us on +44 (0)1132 467 467.
About the library display
Library display
The Autobiography of a Nation: Celebrating 75 Years since the Festival of Britain
Access information
Step-free access
Our accessible entrance is on Cookridge Street, with a lift (doors 100cm wide) bringing you onto the ground floor of the building. There…
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Step-free access
Our accessible entrance is on Cookridge Street, with a lift (doors 100cm wide) bringing you onto the ground floor of the building.
There is an internal passenger lift (doors 72cm wide) to all floors of the building.
Braille & large print
Braille and large print versions of descriptive text about our exhibitions are available at the welcome desk.
Audio guide
We produce audio guides with descriptions of the artworks in our exhibitions. Due to some exhibitions having many artworks, we can’t guarantee that…
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Audio guide
We produce audio guides with descriptions of the artworks in our exhibitions. Due to some exhibitions having many artworks, we can’t guarantee that there will be audio descriptions for all the works on display.
You can pick up a handheld audio player and headphones outside the sculpture galleries, or use your own device by scanning the QR codes next to the artworks.
Induction loops
There are induction loops at the welcome desk on the ground floor, library reception and in the seminar room. There is a portable…
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Induction loops
There are induction loops at the welcome desk on the ground floor, library reception and in the seminar room.
There is a portable induction loop available for visitors to use in the galleries (please ask at the welcome desk).
Seating
Seating is always available in our shop and welcome area. You can also pick up a portable seat here to take with you…
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Seating
Seating is always available in our shop and welcome area. You can also pick up a portable seat here to take with you in the galleries.
While we try to always include seating in our exhibition spaces, due to the changing nature of our exhibitions we cannot always guarantee this.
Quiet space
There is a quiet space available in a room off from The Studio on the second floor of the building. Please ask a…
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Quiet space
There is a quiet space available in a room off from The Studio on the second floor of the building. Please ask a member of staff if you would like to use this space at any time during your visit.
Quiet times to visit
If you’d prefer a quieter, more relaxed visit, then we recommend visiting on a Tuesday between 10:00 and 12:00. Occasionally we have school…
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Quiet times to visit
If you’d prefer a quieter, more relaxed visit, then we recommend visiting on a Tuesday between 10:00 and 12:00.
Occasionally we have school groups booked to visit then, so feel free to contact us beforehand to check if that is the case when you are planning to visit.
T: 01132 467 467
E: institute@henry-moore.org
Toilets
Outside the seminar room on the basement level we have three gender-neutral superloos (self-contained cubicles with a toilet and sink). Additionally, there is…
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Toilets
Outside the seminar room on the basement level we have three gender-neutral superloos (self-contained cubicles with a toilet and sink).
Additionally, there is one gender-neutral, accessible superloo, and one superloo with baby changing facilities.
The closest Changing Places toilet is located in Leeds City Museum, which is approximately a 350m walk from us over a mostly flat and pedestrianised route, with one pelican crossing. See here for Leeds City Museum opening times and contact details.
Guide dogs
Guide dogs, hearing dogs and other badged assistance dogs are welcome in our galleries and at our events. There is a small grassy…
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Guide dogs
Guide dogs, hearing dogs and other badged assistance dogs are welcome in our galleries and at our events.
There is a small grassy area just outside the Institute, suitable for spending. The nearest larger green space is Park Square.
A water bowl for dogs is available, please ask a member of staff at the welcome desk who will fetch it for you.
If you would like to talk to us about any access concerns before the event, you can email us at institute@henry-moore.org, or call us on 01132 467 467.
Getting here
Find us next door to Leeds Art Gallery on Victoria Gardens, in the centre of Leeds. Our step-free entrance is on Cookridge Street.
Henry Moore Institute
74 The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 3AH
United Kingdom
T: 01132 467 467
E: institute@henry-moore.org
