It would only be fair to mention Michelle and I have been involved in this project, Michelle  has been beavering away on the blog site and I sit on the steering committee! So here is the cut and pasted press release!

Art In Unusual Spaces sees the beginning of an exciting new cultural initiative in Leeds, matching visual artists with currently unused spaces, shop units, hoardings and more, making a unique and enlivening contribution to the city centre and celebrating the dazzling range of creative activity in Leeds.  The scheme launches on Thursday 3^rd December with four exciting new exhibitions in shop units around the city centre.

Councillor John Procter, executive board member for Leisure said:

“Through events like Light Night, Leeds has a tradition of putting ‘art in unusual spaces’ for one night a year and it is great for us to launch this exciting new programme which will do that, and will celebrate the creative wealth of our city, year round.  This is an innovative way of working with landlords and businesses which will allow local people to make a truly unique contribution to their own city centre”.

This first phase is marked by four window-based projects that form a trail around the city centre. Land Securities kindly host an exhibition in a number of units in Leeds Shopping Plaza with projects and documentation from Leeds’ annual cultural event, Light Night. Beauty in the Ordinary (commissioned by Leeds City Council Public Arts, directed by Lizzie Coombes, in partnership with Artforms, Education Leeds) explores the hidden qualities of the everyday through photography by community groups, schools and people young and old from across Leeds, exhibited in a prime city centre unit on Lands Lane. The window of 42 New Briggate will be used as a projection screen for Short Shorts, a showreel of artist films between seven and thirty seconds in length. In the Merrion Centre, Curiosity Shops will be viewable through peepholes in various units.  Venues have been provided by Land Securities, Town Centre Securities, City Land Development, PPG and Leeds Grand Theatre.

Gerald Jennings, retail portfolio director for Land Securities said:

“We are delighted to work alongside other key stakeholders in the city to support this excellent council-led initiative, which will see the frontages of temporarily unoccupied units, used to frame stunning photography and other images in settings where they can be seen and enjoyed by many people.”

After these first four exhibitions, Art In Unusual Spaces will continue to create new exhibitions all over the city on an ongoing basis.  If you would like to get involved as an artist, or for information about forthcoming exhibitions, see www.artinunusualspaces.co.uk