Holbeck-based arts organisation Pyramid partners with Northern Monk brewery to offer an eco-friendly and creative solution to reusing old beer tap handles.

Pyramid artists collaborated with Northern Monk to create unique, handmade designs for the tap handles. This process involved the development of a brief by Northern Monk, which artists at Pyramid responded to. Once completed, the refurbished tap handles will be brought back into use and installed in Northern Monk’s Leeds-based bar venues; the Refectory tap room at their original Old Flax Store site in Holbeck, and The Northern Market in the city centre.

This collaborative upcycling project offered Pyramid artists an opportunity to work within a creative brief while providing more outreach for their work.

James Hill, Director of Pyramid, said:

“We’re very excited about our new collaboration with Northern Monk. This is a great opportunity for members of our Ribblehead Group to develop new skills as artists and to showcase their talent across Leeds.

“Pyramid strives to disrupt barriers that artists with learning disabilities, autism, or both, often face, and collaborating with a national partner like Northern Monk will help our artists receive the recognition and celebration their creative work deserves.”

Stephen with his designs

Russell Bisset, Founder & Managing Director of Northern Monk, said:

“Collaboration has been at the heart of Northern Monk since day one. We’re proud to support a local organisation like Pyramid, whose work makes such a meaningful impact to the people in our community.

“It’s a privilege to help showcase the incredible talent of Pyramid artists across our bar venues whilst being environmentally conscious and reducing waste, and we’re excited to continue working closely with Pyramid through the Faith in Futures Foundation.”

As well as the tap handles themselves, artwork inspired by this project will be exhibited in the autumn at Northern Monk Refectory Leeds. Pyramid members will go on to work closely with Northern Monk to produce new designs for tap handles that will be installed in pubs and Northern Monk venues across the UK at the end of the year.

Pyramid supports adults with learning disabilities, autism, or both, through their weekly group and one-to-one art sessions, based in their Holbeck studio. Pyramid showcases its members’ work through a programme of high-quality events and exhibitions across Leeds and Yorkshire and is known for its large-scale artworks such as the ‘Hand of Time’ for the Cultural Olympiad in 2012 and ‘Farm Hill’, the iron sculpture at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm.

Northern Monk’s Faith in Futures Foundation has been a sponsor of Pyramid since 2024 and supports the organisation’s goal to enable people with learning disabilities and/or autism discover the arts and to develop their talents to become world-class artists.

 

This post is based on a press release issued by Pyramid

 

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