Aire Place Studios (APS) is to launch The People’s Gallery, a bold new strand of creative programme made possible with support from the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Hosted at The Mill Gallery in LS13, the initiative will build spaces for creativity, care and collective authorship shaped by the people who live, make and resist here.
The People’s Gallery sits alongside the main gallery programme and aims to shake up how art happens in Leeds, placing community voice, radical care and creative action firmly at its heart.
“We’re not just inviting people into a gallery — we’re co-building a space where creativity is a right, not a privilege,” says APS Director, Sarah Francis.
“The People’s Gallery is a site of radical joy, protest, paper, paint, and pride. This is where zines are sacred, banners are brave, and community stories take centre stage.
“It’s not just about being seen it’s about being heard, held, and honoured.
“These values are at the core of everything we do, and The People’s Gallery takes them even further with co-authored curatorial approaches, embedded community-led storytelling, and radical care guiding the entire process. “
If successful, the project will become a permanent part of APS and a new blueprint for
access-driven, artist-led, community-rooted curation in Leeds.
It launches on Friday 15 August with Protest & Pride – The Art of Protest, a powerful new
exhibition and workshop series that celebrates LGBTQIA+ creativity, protest and radical joy.
This space brings together artists who speak up, resist and connect through political
movements, personal defiance, righteous anger and joyful rebellion.
Running alongside the exhibition is Art of Protest: Creative Solidarity with the Trans
Community, a hands-on workshop programme featuring protest banner-making, artist-led
sessions, and drop-in support for LGBTQIA+ artists.
From zine-making workshops and zine libraries to local photography walks and
art activities for all ages, it’s about meeting people where they are, whether that’s through a zine shelf in a community centre, a protest workshop in Bramley, or a storytelling drop-in in Stanningley.
A spokesperson added: “We’re embedding mentoring, peer support and co-creation into the heart of the programme, not as extras, but as foundations. This is a grassroots, trust-building project rooted in LS13 and stretching into its surrounding communities, fuelled by lived experience and collective creativity.”
Aire Place Studios is calling on local groups, collectives and creatives to bring their ideas, stories and visions to life within this space.
Whether you want to lead a workshop, exhibit your work, build a banner, or simply show up and create, The People’s Gallery is open to you.
Attend the opening on Friday, 15 August from 6.30pm, where visitors can explore the
exhibition, enjoy great conversations, and purchase refreshments in a relaxed and
welcoming setting. Entry is free, but book ahead using this link.
Exhibition Details
Title: Protest & Pride – Art as Resistance Exhibition
Dates: 15 August – 5 September 2025
Location: The Mill Gallery, Unit 5 Cardinal House, Swinnow Grange Mills, Leeds, LS13 4EP
Opening Event: Friday 15th August from 6.30pm.
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