Power for the People: Art, Protest, and the Archives of Activism

Drawing on the strong industrial heritages of Leeds and Bradford, this conference examines the role of protest and political activism in twentieth and twenty-first century art.

Bradford and Leeds have significant archival holdings relating to activist art. In Leeds we have the Archive of Sculptor’s Papers, part of Leeds Museums and Galleries and housed at Henry Moore Institute. In Bradford there is the Special Collections on Peace, Politics and Social Change, which stems from the University of Bradford’s Department for Peace Studies that was established in 1973 and has since developed into an independent library.

This conference questions the role politics should play in art today and how we understand the porous boundary between mass protest and art making. We’ll look at the histories sitting perhaps underappreciated in our archives and how they can they guide us into the future.

This event forms part of our Research Season – Bradford 2025: The Power of Public Sculpture, supported by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.

Call for participation

Accessibility

We want to make it as easy as possible for all to attend, so please get in touch with research@henry-moore.org if you have any access needs that you would like to discuss before the event.