PhD Scholar
Kerry Harker
Creative Leadership
A campus where innovation thrives
In front of the Great Hall, Keith Wilson’s monumental sculpture Sign for Art is a stunning addition to a campus whose public art is testament to an institution with a long tradition in the creative arts. This was nurtured by a number of key figures who shaped the University in its earliest days, and whose influence resonates to this day:
• Lord Brotherton’s rare books and manuscripts remain the heart of unique collections in the library that bears his name;
• Paintings donated by early Vice Chancellor Michael Sadler form a key part of our art collection;
• The Burton family enriched these collections which are now displayed in a gallery funded by the Stanley and Audrey Burton Charitable Trust;
• Donor Eric Gregory established groundbreaking arts fellowships which remain the template for today’s Academy of Cultural Fellows.
More than a century on from its foundation, Leeds remains distinctive among research-intensive universities for its breadth of scholarship and practice in the creative arts. And at a time when public funding for the arts is being progressively squeezed, gifts to the Making a World of Difference Campaign are continuing this proud tradition of artistic creativity which stretches back to its earliest days.
Through the support of our donors we will invest in talented people and exciting partnerships to nurture creativity and further enhance the University’s contribution to the arts. With your help, we will:
- Support rising stars in research and practice across the arts, by awarding highly competitive Cultural Fellowships for the most talented young arts practitioners to develop at Leeds;
- Offer PhD Scholarships to allow the most able arts and humanities graduates to progress into further research and study;
- Strengthen our Creative Labs, establishing new initiatives with arts organisations to enable the creative industries to flourish by putting our research into practice.
Our Cultural Fellowships:
- Provide precious time for creative practitioners to experiment and concentrate on new work;
- Offer a rare opportunity for early-career artists to benefit from mentoring by leaders in their field;
- Facilitate dynamic interaction between practitioners, scholars, students to inform and enrich research, teaching and creative production;
- Contribute to an exceptional student experience by enabling undergraduates to engage with working artists, creative writers and performers.
Through this project, and with the support of our donors, we have established a vibrant programme of Fellowships across the arts, supporting talented early-career artists, composers and writers and giving them the time and freedom to create new work, engage with the wider community and inspire our students to excel in their studies.
- Read about former Cultural Fellow Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s choral tribute to Professor Stephen Hawking.
Our PhD Scholars:
- Are supported financially as they are stretched intellectually while studying for their doctorates – at a time when public funding for the arts has been significantly reduced;
- Are encouraged to reach beyond their own subject areas, challenge received wisdom and gain the confidence to explore new horizons.
With your support we will enable more outstanding graduates to study for doctorates in the arts.
Our Creative Labs:
- Are harnessing the skills and ideas of University academics and external partners to reap surprising rewards.
- Pair researchers from across campus with arts and technology partners. Over the course of three days, they explore how they could work together to mutual advantage.
Though the project originates in the arts, the Creative Labs have attracted academics from medicine, biology and the physical sciences, each excited by the opportunity to collaborate. Diverse ideas have sprung from these collisions:
- A video game on the ethics of drone warfare;
- Smartphone tools for training actors;
- A dance project to educate the public about immunology.
With your support we will enable more innovative pairings through the Creative Labs, and so unlock new ideas and possibilities.
Watch our video One Day in Leeds to learn more about the impact of the Campaign:
- Read an interview with Samuel Hertz, winner of the inaugural DARE arts prize
Making a World of Difference
CLICK ON THE LINKS AND VIDEOS BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN'S SUPPORT FOR ARTS AND CULTURE
Donor
Terry Ingram
Creative Lab participant
Stephanie Steels
PhD Scholar
Matthew Elliott
How you can help
We will be delighted to discuss how your gift can support our work in creative leadership and the arts.
And because the University of Leeds is a charity, UK taxpayers can make their gifts go further. Gift Aid enables the University to reclaim the basic rate of tax on the value of the donation, while donors can reclaim the difference between the basic rate and the higher rate of tax.
| Area of support | Creative Labs Programme | Six-month Cultural Fellowship | PhD Study |
| You give | £8,000 | £23,840 | £52,000 |
| The University claims Gift Aid (1) | £2,000 | £5,960 | £13,000 |
| Full value of gift | £10,000 | £29,800 | £65,000 |
If you are a Higher Rate (40%) taxpayer:
| You claim tax relief (2) | £2,000 | £5,960 | £13,000 |
| Net cost to you | £6,000 | £17,880 | £39,000 |
If you are an Additional Rate (45%) taxpayer:
| You claim tax relief (3) | £2,500 | £7,450 | £16,250 |
| Net cost to you | £5,500 | £16,390 | £35,750 |
- Added at the basic rate of tax.
- Higher rate relief is the difference between basic rate and higher rate tax.
- Additional rate relief is the difference between basic rate and additional rate tax.
For further information on tax-effective giving, click here
You may also choose to make your gift in instalments.
Key partnerships
The University’s Cultural Institute, founded in 2016, has three principal aims:
- To take a greater role in the cultural life of the city, region and nation by promoting the University’s wide array of outstanding creative activities, facilities, treasures and performance and exhibition spaces;
- To enhance the learning experience and life chances of our students by creating more opportunities for them to volunteer, secure work placements and internships – and interact with the most curious minds on the cultural landscape;
- To work with cultural partners on interdisciplinary research which addresses some of the complex global challenges posed by social, economic, ecological and political change.
Philanthropy is critical to achieving these goals.
DARE is the pioneering collaboration between Opera North and the University of Leeds, the first of its kind.
- The partnership brings the very best of both organisations together to play a positive role in shaping the future of arts and learning regionally, nationally and internationally, achieving success beyond anything either party could hope to achieve alone.
- Through this ‘third organisation’, Opera North is committed to working with academics at the highest level to create new opportunities for student learning at the heart of a leading opera company, for research relevant to the contemporary cultural sector, and for new work and new thinking that challenges perspectives and enriches intellectual and artistic life.
- In this article, musician Samuel Hertz talks about his remarkable year as the first winner of the DARE Arts Prize.