Skip to main content

Annual Symposium

To explore what the AWP might become, in 2015 we began hosting an annual symposium in the first week of the new academic year, focussing each September on a different topic derived from our plans for future projects. Hosted by our partners, The Tetley Centre for Contemporary Art and Learning, each symposium invites a broad public as well as new students to engage with guest speakers doing nationally and internationally significant work in the fields of editorial, curatorial, educational and collections practice. 


Curating Language Acts

Friday 25 September, 2015

Curating Language Acts is a one-day symposium exploring the specific problems posed to curators and art historians by language-centred artworks and language-led modes of art making. Taking their first-hand curatorial experiences with modern and contemporary art as a starting point, three renowned art historians will reflect upon and discuss the theme:

→ Professor Christa-Maria Lerm Hayes, University of Amsterdam

→ Dr Luke Skrebowski, University of Cambridge

→ Professor Sarah Wilson, Courtauld Institute of Art

The event is a public seminar geared at developing thoughtful conversations between academic and non-academic researchers and makers interested in the practices, criticisms, theories and recent histories of contemporary art.


Unpacking the Library

Friday 23 September, 2016

In this one day symposium at The Tetley, Leeds, speakers from three of our national museum and gallery archives – the British Library, Tate and the V&A – present ideas and thoughts on artist book collections, issues of display and public access.

Elizabeth James, Senior Librarian at the National Art Library, Victoria and Albert Museum

Richard Price, Head of Contemporary British Collections at the British Library

Karen Di Franco, PhD researcher Tate & University of Reading

The event is a public seminar geared at developing thoughtful conversations between academic and non-academic researchers and makers interested in the practices, criticisms, theories and recent histories of contemporary art.


Document Practices

Friday 5 May, 2017

Document Practices was a one-day symposium exploring the connections between documentary methods from across the arts with radical cultures of document sharing from around the world. Taking their scholarly and practical experiences as a starting point, three renowned cultural theorists will reflect upon and discuss the theme:

→ Professor John Beck, University of Westminster

→ Professor Gary Hall, University of Coventry

→ Dr Nicholas Thoburn, University of Manchester

The event is a public seminar geared at developing thoughtful conversations between academic and non-academic researchers and makers interested in the practices, criticisms, theories and recent histories of contemporary art.


RTFM: Artists' Publications as Instructions, Scores and Manuals

Friday 28 September, 2018

In this symposium at The Tetley, Leeds, the rich history of Instructional and Procedural art, as manifested in print, will be celebrated in a day of presentations, performances and discussions.

Ami Clarke, artist and founder founder of Banner Repeater, London

Chris McCabe, poet and National Poetry Librarian, South Bank Centre

Sarah Kate Wilson, artist and curator

Alex De Little, sound artist and composer

The event is a public seminar geared at developing thoughtful conversations between academic and non-academic researchers and makers interested in the practices, criticisms, theories and recent histories of contemporary art.