Postcards from the World Exhibition at The Art House – 30 Sept – 12 Nov
Pyramid has partnered with Artwalk Wakefield and The Art House on a new exhibition from the Next Step Pyramid and Legends groups.
The new exhibition features handmade postcards from Pyramid artists made from various media, including drawing, stitch, collage, illustration, screen printing and mono printing.
Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase the postcards on display, with every sale helping Pyramid support more people with learning disabilities and autism to discover the arts and grow as artists.
This is a free exhibition and everyone is welcome, no need to book, just drop in!
Event Details
Where? The Learning Space, The Art House, Drury Lane, Wakefield WF1 2TE Exhibition Dates: 30 September – 12 November 2026 Exhibition Times: Monday to Saturday – check Art House website for opening times Booking: No booking needed, just drop in! Access: For access information, please visit: https://the-arthouse.org.uk/about/access
The Magical Weekender at Sunny Bank Mills – 26 – 27 Sept 2026
Join us at Sunny Bank Mills Gallery for the final weekend of The Magic Show.
Created in partnership with Sunny Bank Mills and Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre, the exhibition brings together work by more than 30 artists with learning disabilities and autism from Pyramid and Henshaws, celebrating an inspiring range of creativity, imagination and talent.
Come along and celebrate the closing weekend with a fantastic programme of creative workshops, performances and activities led by artists and staff. There’ll be plenty to see, make and enjoy!
Tickets are on a sliding scale, so please donate as much as you are comfortable with. If you are unable to take part or just want to offer your support, please consider donating via the workshop pages. Your donations will help us to cover teaching costs and subsidise tickets for low income families. The Magic Show has recieved no external funding, so we’re relying on your support to make the exhibition a success and to help provide opportunities to the participating artists!
All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Henshaws and Pyramid to provide transport and payment to facilitators and artists.
Photos courtesy of Sunny Bank Mills.
Epilepsy and Me: Behind the Exhibition with Ria
Epilepsy and Me is an exhibition from Pyramid artist Ria Lake which brings together personal stories with art and archive objects from the Thackray Museum of Medicine. The exhibition at Thackray Museum, which opened in April, explores epilepsy through art, lived experience and historical objects, creating an opportunity to raise awareness and encourage people to think differently about the condition.
The exhibition was inspired after a visit to the museum. Ria explains the exhibition is ‘about stories from pyramids members and medicine from the museum’ and that it was inspired ‘because me and Alice went to the museum and noticed they was no information regarding epilepsy or brains in general.’
Ria worked with the curation and archive team to look at the museum’s collection of historical objects relating to epilepsy and created artwork in response to these items. Ria enjoyed their time working with the museum: ‘they were really helpful very open to ideas.’
Discovering the archive
Working with objects from the archive offered a chance to look behind the scenes at the museum and explore its collections in a different way. The historic objects provided a starting point for Ria and their fellow artists to think about how epilepsy has been understood and treated in the past, while weaving their own experiences and perspectives to the exhibition.
When asked which object inspired Ria the most, they said: ‘I liked the old medication bottle with skeleton on back of the box, I used this the art I made in response to the archive.’
Creating the artwork
For the exhibition, Ria was keen to explore their screen printing practice. Ria says: ‘Icreated a 3 metres textile banner with some of old archive items I saw in museum and I screen printed this at Leeds Print Workshop. I used bright colours to make it look up to date.’
Ria’s piece gives the historic imagery a contemporary feel, bringing objects from the archive into the present day. The artwork connects the history of epilepsy represented by the museum’s collections with their creativity and experience.
The exhibition also brought together contributions from Pyramid artists Alfie Fox and D, who, like Ria, both have personal experience of epilepsy. Their stories and artwork add another important perspective to the exhibition, helping to ensure that lived experience is at the heart of Epilepsy and Me. Ria explains: ‘I know they had epilepsy them self’s and I know I’d get good response back from these two people in regards to their stories and art work.’
When asked what their favourite part about creating artwork and curating the exhibition, Ria says: ‘Getting to look at archive collections behind the scenes at the museum and seeing my friends create work for exhibitions.’
Raising awareness of epilepsy
At its heart, Epilepsy and Me is about raising awareness. Ria says they hope that when people see the exhibition they’ll have ‘more awareness in regards for epilepsy as a lots people do not know what it really is.’
By bringing together historical objects, personal stories and contemporary artwork, Ria’s exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to learn more about epilepsy while seeing it from the perspectives of people with lived experience.
Epilepsy and Me is currently exhibiting in the Community Exhibition space at Thackray Museum of Medicine. For more information about the exhibition, visit: https://pyramid.org.uk/epilepsy-and-me
Static Wool Community supports Pyramid with Downloadable Zine
Creative patrons of artist and YouTuber Static Wool have come together to create a collaborative downloadable zine to raise funds for Pyramid.
The theme of this first issue is ‘Fantasy in Space’ and features 32 pages of artwork. The downloadable zine includes two pdfs: an e-zine to view online as well as a version which can be printed at home.
All sale proceeds from this zine will help us continue to support people with learning disabilities and autism to discover the arts and grow as artists.
Learning disabled artists in Leeds rally to protect their charity
Leeds-based arts organisation, Pyramid, launches crowdfunder with help from its members to secure its future amidst rising costs and funding cuts.
For over 35 years, Pyramid has been supporting people with learning disabilities and autism to discover the arts and develop as artists. Growing from an art group that used to meet in the long since closed Meanwood Park Hospital, the organisation is led by artists with and without learning disabilities and autism, supporting nearly 60 learning disabled and autistic artists each year. Pyramid delivers over 1,500 hours of creative workshops while contributing to leading research on inclusive arts.
Despite the significance of this work, Pyramid finds itself at a crossroads as it faces funding cuts, rising costs and an increasingly challenging fundraising environment. The new Crowdfunder, Protect Pyramid’s Future, aims to raise £20,000 by 1 September to strengthen the organisation’s long-term sustainability. Donations will help protect Pyramid’s weekly art groups, flexible studio time, and individual artist support, while helping the organisation develop a new line of products for retail that showcases their members’ artwork to a wider audience.
Alfie, an artist with a learning disability, has been a Pyramid member for over sixyears, travelling from North Yorkshire to attend the organisation’s accessible studio space and unique, person-centred art programme. When asked about his experience as a Pyramid member, Alfie said: ‘I love coming to Pyramid as it is a place where people listen to my ideas and help me develop. I have learnt lots of new things at Pyramid and it was a dream come true to work on projects with a professional film maker. Pyramid has given me so many opportunities to make art and advocate for myself.’
Mindy Goose, Trustee of Pyramid, said: ‘Pyramid is incredibly unique in the support we offer artists like Alfie. Without us, many people with learning disabilities and autism in Yorkshire wouldn’t be able to develop the skills and confidence they need to go on to become working artists.
‘We know our work makes a real difference to our members and to the cultural life of the region. But like many arts organisations, we are facing significant financial pressures that have brought us to this critical moment. Without additional support, we will have to make difficult decisions about our future programme.
‘Our members want to make big change through big art to help challenge perceptions and inspire change for many years to come. We hope our community in Leeds and beyond will stand with us by supporting our crowdfunder and helping secure Pyramid’s future.’
The response to Protect Pyramid’s Future has been immensely positive. Since launching just a few weeks ago, the crowdfunder has received donations from more than 130 supporters and has already raised 23% of its £20,000 target.
The funds raised will help ensure Pyramid can continue providing life-changing creative opportunities for artists with learning disabilities and autism as it reshapes itself for the future.
Magical gallery takeover at Sunny Bank Mills celebrates the creativity of artists with learning disabilities and neurodivergence
Sunny Bank Mills has unveiled one of its most ambitious and joyful exhibitions yet. The Magic Show has taken over its Gallery in Farsley, Leeds until 27th September, bringing together disabled, neurodivergent and learning-disabled artists in a vibrant celebration of creativity, collaboration and imagination.
Created in collaboration with Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre and Pyramid, the exhibition reimagines the Gallery through an immersive collection of paintings, sculpture, textiles, installations, ceramics and mixed media works revealing what magic means to each artist.
Developed over six months of collaborative workshops, studio exchanges and creative experimentation, The Magic Show demonstrates the transformative power of inclusive artistic practice and challenges traditional perceptions of disability in the arts.
Visitors can expect a colourful, playful and thought-provoking exhibition where everyday materials become extraordinary, familiar spaces are transformed and imagination takes centre stage. Alongside the exhibition, a specially curated shop features handmade artworks and gifts created by participating artists.
The exhibition marks a significant partnership between three organisations committed to creating more inclusive opportunities for artists whose work is often underrepresented in mainstream galleries, and is the first time Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre and Pyramid have worked together.
Anna Turzynski, Arts Director at Sunny Bank Mills, said: “The Magic Show started as a small, speculative invitation to two groups of artists and has grown into a giant cultural shift here at Sunny Bank Mills. I am so excited for audiences to experience the Gallery reimagined by artists from Henshaws and Pyramid. Especially during a time where we could all use some magic in our everyday lives.”
Alice Clayden, Pyramid Creative Programme Coordinator, said: “We’re delighted to partner with Sunny Bank Mills and Henshaws on this exciting gallery takeover. Our member artists have fully embraced and explored the magic-inspired theme of this exhibition, creating unique and imaginative works that we hope will inspire, surprise and engage visitors.”
“The Magic Show has provided a fantastic opportunity for our artists to connect, collaborate, and build communities across borders. One example is Heather’s crochet granny square blanket, which brings together more than 300 handmade granny squares contributed by makers from across the UK and around the world. Projects like this demonstrate the power of creativity to bring people together and create something truly special.”
“It’s important that artists with learning disabilities and autism are given more meaningful platforms like this exhibition to showcase and celebrate their talent and creativity in established and respected institutions. This collaboration with Sunny Bank Mills is a brilliant example of what can be achieved when organisations work together to create inclusive opportunities.”
Artists from Henshaws and Pyramid spent months visiting one another’s studios, sharing creative processes and exploring the exhibition theme together. The result is a show built on genuine collaboration, mutual learning and friendship.
Sharon Hockin, Workshop Leader at Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre said: “The art makers at Henshaws were so excited to be asked to be part of a collaborative exhibition with Pyramid and Sunny Bank Mills. Working alongside another local disability arts organisation in a major contemporary art gallery has been fantastic and we wish there were many more opportunities like this. We have had over 40 art makers involved in making and creating work for the exhibition and the shop.
She continued: “We felt it was important to work with the Pyramid artists from the start to enable a truly meaningful exchange of ideas, skills and lived experience. Exchange visits took place over 6 months as the artists explored each other’s studios, workshop spaces and all things magical!”
For the artists themselves, the exhibition is an opportunity to challenge perceptions and celebrate creativity on equal terms.
Artist Debra from Henshaws said: “We want you to know that we are a mixed group of disabled, visually impaired and neurodivergent artists. This is the best exhibition EVER. The collaboration has been a fantastic way to connect with other artists, and the exhibition will show what we can do. This show is about capability not disability.”
Through bold artworks, shared experiences and a spirit of wonder, The Magic Show invites visitors to see the world differently while celebrating the extraordinary talent of these artists.
During this 3-month long exhibition there will be creative workshops and performances from both Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre and Pyramid.
The Magic Show is open in the Gallery, Sandsgate Building, Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4pm until 27th Sept. Closed on Mondays. FREE ENTRY. For more information on The Magic Show visit:https://www.sunnybankmills.co.uk/arts/gallery/the-magic-show/
Sunny Bank Mills is one of the most exciting and respected cultural and community hubs in the Yorkshire region. It is home to an acclaimed contemporary Art Gallery, a large artists’ studio community, a textile Museum & Archive, and with many other creative independent businesses on site. It’s situated in the heart of the thriving village of Farsley in West Leeds.
Photos courtesy of Sunny Bank Mills
Protect Pyramid’s Future – Support our Crowdfunder
Pyramid has launched a crowdfunder to help raise funds to protect it’s future programme.
For over 35 years, Pyramid has been supporting people with learning disabilities and autism to discover the arts and develop as artists. Growing from an art group that used to meet in the long since closed Meanwood Park Hospital, the organisation is led by artists with and without learning disabilities and autism, supporting nearly 60 learning disabled and autistic artists each year. Pyramid delivers over 1,500 hours of creative workshops while contributing to leading research on inclusive arts.
Despite the significance of this work, Pyramid finds itself at a crossroads as it faces funding cuts, rising costs and an increasingly challenging fundraising environment. The new Crowdfunder, Protect Pyramid’s Future, aims to raise £20,000 by 1 September to strengthen our long-term sustainability. Donations will help protect our weekly art groups, flexible studio time, and individual artist support, while helping the organisation develop a new line of products for retail that showcases their members artwork to a wider audience.
Your donation will help ensure Pyramid can continue providing life-changing creative opportunities for artists with learning disabilities and autism as it reshapes itself for the future.
Please share this appeal with family, friends, and co-workers. Share your support for our fundraising campaign by using #ManyHands. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates.
Pyramid Big Summer Art Show at Left Bank Leeds – 22 July – 21 August
Pyramid has partnered with Left Bank Leeds on a special summer exhibition featuring new artwork from our artists. All the artwork on display will be available to purchase, and the proceeds from the exhibition will help us support more people with learning disabilities and autism discover the arts and grow as artists.
We’ll be hosting a celebration event on 22 July to launch the new exhibition, where you’ll be able to meet some of our artists and learn more about the work we do and how you can support Pyramid this summer.
This is a free exhibition and everyone is welcome, no need to book, just drop in!
Event Details
Where? Left Bank Leeds, Cardigan Rd, Burley, Leeds LS6 1LJ Celebration Event Date: Wednesday, 22 July 2026 Celebration Event Time: 6pm-9pm Exhibition Dates: 22 July – 21 August 2026 Exhibition Times: Monday to Fridays – check Left Bank Leeds website for opening times Booking: No booking needed, just drop in!
Pyramid Big Paint Day – 25 July 2026
Pyramid Big Paint Day is a chance for members, supporters, and friends to come together to make big art to raise funds for Pyramid.
Come along to our Big Paint Day, where we’ll transform Pyramid’s studio into one large canvas!
Together, we’ll create big art to raise money for Pyramid. We’ll cover the floor and walls with paper, and using old paints from our stores, we’ll make a large piece of artwork celebrating the work Pyramid does to support artists with learning disabilities and autism.
Well-known local artists will be joining us throughout the day, and we’ll be selling Pyramid artwork and merchandise, as well as refreshments and yummy snacks. We’ll also be running a fundraising raffle, featuring prizes from local businesses around Leeds.
Alfie is a young artist with cerebral palsy who has attended Pyramid for Development Team sessions with a professional artist facilitator since 2020.
Alfie loves experimenting with different techniques and learning new skills. Since joining Pyramid, he has worked with photography, digital art, print, text, collage, and filmmaking.
Alfie travels from North Yorkshire to access Pyramid sessions because they offer him the bespoke support that he needs to flourish. Alfie is a wheelchair user so having an accessible studio space to make his work is absolutely essential. Alfie loves to make art which advocates for people with disabilities, raising awareness of issues such as access and accessibility.
“I love coming to Pyramid as it is a place where people listen to my ideas and help me develop. I have learnt lots of new things at Pyramid and it was a dream come true to work on projects with a professional film maker. Pyramid has given me so many opportunities to make art and advocate for myself.”- Alfie
Alfie is keen to inspire other people with learning disabilities to make artwork. From 2023 to 2024, Pyramid coordinated a collaborative art project where Alfie led art workshops for children and adults with disabilities across Leeds to create large-scale artworks that were displayed at cultural locations citywide. This project was well received by all participants, which was a huge boost to Alfie’s confidence and self-esteem.
Filmmaking is one of Alfie’s greatest passions and Pyramid has supported Alfie both to make films and to share them in professional settings. Alfie has now worked on two films with professional filmmaker Michael Godsall, both of which have been screened at Leeds’ Grade 2 listed cinema, Hyde Park Picture House.
Cultivating Care: Inclusive Art and the Turner Prize 2025
Back in November, Alice Clayden, Pyramid’s Creative Programme Coordinator, joined a panel of artists, curators and academics to discuss the Turner Prize 2025 and the role of care in the art industry. Curated by Yorkshire Contemporary in partnership with the University of Leeds, the event took place at the Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery. The discussion, held both in person and online, brought together a distinguished panel to explore how care is expressed, embodied and challenged within contemporary artistic practice and curation.
Unpacking Care in Art
Chaired by Turner Prize 2025 co-curator Michael Richmond, the conversation aimed to unpack a complex set of questions: How do artists demonstrate care in their work? How do institutions uphold (or fail to uphold) care? And what does it mean to cultivate environments that genuinely support both individuals and communities?
Speaking from her experience working with artists who have learning disabilities and autism, Alice emphasised the difficulty of representation in traditional art spaces and what Nnena Kalu’s nomination, and now win, means for the community.
‘Myself and a lot of other people who work in inclusive arts with learning disabled artists spend a lot of our time feeling like we’re having to push and prove why the artwork the artists we support make is so important and amazing in its own right. Being able to experience that space with Nnena’s work was just so important for her community.’
Inclusive Art Spaces Build Confidence
Drawing on Pyramid’s long history of inclusive arts practice, Alice explained how supportive and flexible creative environments allow artists with learning disabilities and autism to thrive beyond their creative practice.
‘A lot of people with learning disabilities often have their lives scheduled for them and don’t get to make a lot of decisions about what they do and how they spend their time. Even as simple as coming to Pyramid or another inclusive art space, or any kind of space where people can choose what paint they want to use, what colour they want to use, expands how they see themselves and gives them so much more confidence to then make those decisions in their lives about how they want to be supported and how they want to look after themselves. Even something as small as that can really change someone’s way of being and thinking about themselves.’
She emphasised that even seemingly small acts of creative choice can have transformative effects on how individuals see themselves and navigate the world.
Long-Term Support as a Form of Care
Alice also noted the crucial role sustained relationships play in enabling artists with learning disabilities to build meaningful creative practices. She highlighted the long-term collaboration between Nnena Kalu and her studio assistant Charlotte at ActionSpace—a partnership spanning over two decades:
“The story of Nnena and Charlotte at ActionSpace shows it’s really important to get to know people and have time to get to know people and get to work together and explore things.”
She contrasted this with the realities many people with learning disabilities and autism face: short-term support, high staff turnover and systems that inadvertently discourage long-term relationships. This lack of investment often prevents artists from developing deep creative collaborations and exploring their full potential.
Pioneering Research on Inclusive Arts Practice
Alice also discussed the ongoing research between Pyramid and Dr Jade French from the University of Leeds. Their four-year project, Inclusive Art for Wicked Problems, part of the Irregular Art School funded by UKRI, explores how inclusive arts practice can mobilise the expertise of people with learning disabilities across challenges within the social care system. This project sees Pyramid working with partners across the UK and internationally, including ActionSpace, Project Artworks, Blue Room and Museum of Modern Art in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Four Pyramid members are working as researchers in this project, each developing and pursuing their own research questions on issues such as advocacy in social care, reimaging inclusive arts education, the impact of media around disability welfare policy and how art can influence a more inclusive, environmentally friendly development of AI. The project will provide meaningful change for people with learning disabilities in addition to shifting the paradigm approach to research, where people with learning disabilities are often treated as subjects of research and not leaders of that research.
As the creative sector celebrates Nnena Kalu’s Turner Prize win, Alice hopes this recognition will open doors for many more artists with learning disabilities and autism:
‘I hope that all the events and great work that Yorkshire Contemporary and ActionSpace have done will help make other institutions feel more confident to reach out to learning-disabled artists and show that there doesn’t have to be barriers between us. It can just be conversations, coming to meet people and offering space and time. I think it will definitely have a massive impact.’
Her reflections underline a hopeful vision: a sector where artists with learning disabilities and autism are not exceptions but integral contributors who are supported, valued and visible.
The Magic Show at Sunny Bank Mills – 04 July – 27 September
Pyramid has partnered with Sunny Bank Mills to create ‘The Magic Show’, an exhibition celebrating all things magical. This exhibition features new, original artwork from Pyramid artists alongside other learning-disabled artists from Henshaws College.
This will be an immersive takeover of the Gallery and artists from both groups will be responding to the theme of magic. Think magicians’ hats, wizards, mythical creatures, spells and illusions.
There will also be a library of ‘Magic’ zines available to view. These zines were created by the Ribblehead group, Pyramid development team artists and Studio Pyramid members.
Where? Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, Pudsey LS28 5UJ Exhibition Dates: 04 July – 27 September 2026 Opening times: Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-4pm Booking: No booking needed, just drop in! Access: Please see Sunny Bank Mills’ Access guide for more details: https://www.sunnybankmills.co.uk/arts/access/
Exhibiting Artists
Alexander
Alexander is a young autistic artist and a prolific illustrator who joined Pyramid at the end of 2023. He now spends two mornings a week working with an artist facilitator to develop his creative practice and attends the Pyramid Next Step Group. Alexander uses art as a tool to express himself and to share his perspectives and ideas on the world. His artwork is often based on television or video game characters, but he also enjoys drawing animals, birds and vehicles in his own distinctive style. Alexander often weaves lively narratives around the characters that he creates.
Dan Bennet
Dan Bennet is a Pyramid artist who attends Studio Pyramid and is a long-running member of Pyramid’s Eden and Ribblehead groups. Dan enjoys sketching, collage and making 3D sculptures using mixed materials. His work is often inspired by the things he loves, like cars and animals. Dan’s artwork was featured in the Playing Around exhibition at Sunny Bank Mills in 2025 and was recently selected for the Pyramid view on… John Atkinson Grimshaw exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery.
Jem Clancy
Jem is a Pyramid artist and Studio Pyramid member. She is an aspiring dancer and visual artist based in Leeds working primarily in film and animation. Jem’s artwork was also part of Another Way of Seeing, a multi-sensory art exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery which took place in December 2025. Her artwork was recently selected for the Pyramid view on… John Atkinson Grimshaw exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery.
Daniel Fox
Daniel has been coming to Pyramid for many years, first as part of the YoYos group and now as an active member of the Pyramid Next Step Group. Daniel started his first Development Team in September 2025 where he meets with his artist facilitator weekly to develop his creative practice. Daniel loves collage, printing, surface pattern design and is currently experimenting with working with large-scale pieces.
Heather
Heather is a Pyramid member and learning disabled and autistic artist who enjoys lots of art forms, with an interest in character design and cats. Heather’s characters span many queer, racial and disabled identities. Since 2023, Heather has had a display cabinet inside Thackray Museum of Medicine’s community exhibition space, which details her relationship between colour and communication. In 2025, Heather curated her first ever exhibition at Flamingos Coffee House in Leeds.
Ria Lake
Ria is a multimedia artist with a learning disability and epilepsy. They first joined the Pyramid youth group in 2015 and now spends two days each week working with professional artist facilitators to develop their art practice. Much of Ria’s work is colourful and joyful, but they also use artwork to share their frustrations with the social care system and to educate others on the challenges that young people with learning disabilities face. Their artwork was recently selected for the Ones to Watch 2026 exhibition at Sunny Bank Mills.
Ribblehead group
The Ribblehead group is made of twelve Pyramid members who work collaboratively on creative projects. The group has shown work at exhibitions across Leeds for many years. More recently, the group worked with Northern Monk Brewery on a creative upcycling project to redesign old beer tap handles to be used and installed in Northern Monk’s Leeds-based bar venues.
Gardening and Nature Sketching for Wellbeing – 18 May
Join Pyramid during Creativity and Wellbeing Week for a relaxed, drop-in gardening and nature sketching for wellbeing session at the Pyramid Studio in Holbeck.
Help us plant a vibrant dye garden in our courtyard, with carefully chosen plants selected for their rich colours and sensory qualities. These plants will be tended to and used in future creative projects with our members. After some time in the garden, you’ll be invited to head into the studio to enjoy some nature sketching inspired by your time in the garden and the beautiful foliage on display in our studio.
You’ll also have the chance to see our accessible, inclusive art studio in action and meet some of the members who regularly create here.
This is an open session and everyone is welcome. No gardening or drawing experience is needed, and all materials will be provided. Our Creative Programme Coordinator will be on hand to chat with people about what we do.
Event Details
Where? Unit 3, 18 Croydon Street, Leeds LS11 9RT Event Date: Monday 18 May 2026 Event Time: 11am – 2pm Cost: Free to attend Booking: No booking needed, just drop in! Access: For access information for Pyramid Studio, please see our guidePyramid-Studio-Unit-3-access-information-easy-read.pdf
The planting of our dye garden is in partnership with Kirstie Williams, as part of her Gathered Colour project. Our nature-inspired work this year is supported by the Boots Charitable Trust Health and Wellbeing fund.
Food Glorious Food! at HEART – 09 May – 20 June
Studio Pyramid has partnered with the HALO group at Hamara on a new exhibition at HEART which celebrates food and cuisine.
Over the past twelve weeks, Studio Pyramid members, along with members of HALO, have been working on food-inspired artwork across a range of mediums, including a mixture of 2D and 3D work. Food Glorious Food! brings together these new pieces which celebrate the artists’ favourite foods, celebrity chefs, and the joy of sharing meals together. This new exhibition will be on display in the Assembly Bar and Kitchen at HEART for visitors to enjoy.
Event Details
Where? Assembly Bar + Kitchen at Headingley Enterprise and Arts Centre (HEART), Bennett Road, Leeds LS6 3HN Exhibition Dates: 09 May – 20 June 2026 Opening times: Monday – Saturday, 9am – 9pm Booking: No booking needed, just drop in! Access: Please see HEART’s accessibility guide for more details: https://heartcentre.org.uk/accessibility
William Stapleton
“I loved my exhibition at archive that was joint with Ria, it was fun doing it with a friend. I made mickey mouse goes to mars book and audio book. I felt happy and proud of my work.”
“I am the store manager at pyramid I make sure everything is tidy, wheelchair accessible and that their are easy read signs. I like to have pictures to help people that don’t read.”
“I am part of vision group and next step and have my own dteam.”
William Stapleton is a Pyramid development team artist who meets with his artist facilitator, Alice B, weekly to develop his creative practice. William is also a member of Pyramid’s Next Step Group and the Visioning Group.
William works with print and paint and creates artworks and items which celebrate Pyramid.
While working with the Beam Team in 2013 he created ideaLeeds, an interactive sound and sculpture installation which was displayed at the Howard Assembly Room, Light Night in Leeds and the Nuit des Lampions in Wiltz, Luxembourg.
Dan Bennet is a Pyramid artist who attends Studio Pyramid and is a long-running member of Pyramid’s Eden and Ribblehead groups.
Dan enjoys sketching, collage and making 3D sculptures using mixed materials. His work is often inspired by the things he loves, like cars and animals. Dan’s artwork was featured in the Playing Around exhibition at Sunny Bank Mills in 2025 and was recently selected for the Pyramid view on… John Atkinson Grimshaw exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery.
Epilepsy and Me at Thackray Museum of Medicine – From April 2026
Pyramid artist Ria Lake has been working with Thackray Museum of Medicine to create Epilepsy and Me, a new display about epilepsy in the museum’s Community Exhibition space.
While visiting the museum, Ria noticed there weren’t any items displayed about epilepsy. They worked with the curation and archive team to look at the museum’s collection of historical objects relating to epilepsy and created artwork in response to these items. The new exhibition showcases this creative response, including a two-metre drop of screen-printed fabric that reimagines the collection.
Ria says: ‘When I first got epilepsy I didn’t understand what it was. I used to say that it felt like a monster inside me. I make art about epilepsy now to help other people understand it.’
The exhibition will also include new artwork and stories from Ria’s fellow Pyramid artists Alfie Fox and D, who also have experience of living with epilepsy.
A celebration of the Soul with Leeds Song Festival – 27 March
Join Pyramid’s High Rise Music group at Bramley Community Centre for A celebration of the Soul, an informal sharing of music and visual art celebrating music in connection with the theme of Soul Music, in collaboration with Leeds Song musicians.
Inspired by interactive workshops led by Leeds Song musicians Philip Smith and Jonathan Fisher, members of the High Rise Music have spent twelve weeks experimenting with sound and visual art, creating unique responses to the theme of Soul Music.
Together the group have been exploring the genre of soul music and the many meaning behind the word. Audiences will hear the original music co-produced with Leeds Song musicians and view the visual art produced in response to the theme.
This is a free event, open to everyone. Refreshments will be provided, and there’s no need to book in advance, just turn up!
Event Details
Where? Bramley Community Centre, Waterloo Lane, LS13 2JB Event Date: Friday 27 March 2026 Event Time: 10:30am – 12pm Cost: Free to attend Booking: No booking needed, just drop in!
A celebration of the Soul is in partnership with Leeds Song Festival 2026, which promotes the enjoyment, understanding, appreciation, composition and performance of art song.
Sunny Bank Mills Print Festival – 08 March
Join Pyramid and other lovely print makers and artists at the Sunny Bank Mills Print Festival on Sunday 08 March from 10 – 4pm.
We will be selling original screenprints, hand printed tea towels, handmade ceramics, bespoke fabric aprons and a collection of greetings cards and more created by our talented Pyramid member artists. All purchases made on the day will help support our work with people with learning disabilities and autism — empowering them to explore the arts, develop their skills, and grow as world-class artists.
Event Details
Where? 1912 Mill, Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, Pudsey LS28 5UJ Date: Sunday 08 March 2026 Time: 10 – 4pm Cost: Print Fair £3.50 entry on the door (carers & under 12s free), no pre-booking required Access: Please see Sunny Bank Mills’ Access guide for more details: https://www.sunnybankmills.co.uk/arts/access/
About Pyramid Print
Pyramid Print is a new initiative to help showcase the creativity of Pyramid member artists by giving them an opportunity to share and sell the work they produce to a wider audience on a public platform.
Artwork by members is professionally curated and used to create a collection of printed merchandise including greeting cards, notebooks and screen printed textiles. These will be sold at small independent retailers and galleries (often alongside exhibitions of original work) and directly at fairs and markets.
Putting Our View Front and Centre: Creating Pyramid View On… John Atkinson Grimshaw
The Visioning Group is made up of seven artists with and without learning disabilities and autism. Four members of the group, James, William, Alice and Rosie, played a key role in curating the exhibition.
Speaking about the intention behind the project, James explains: ‘our view is allowing us to put front and centre on neurodivergency inspired by John Atkinson Grimshaw.’
The exhibition brings together a carefully selected collection of original artworks by Pyramid members. For the Visioning Group, this was their first experience of curating an exhibition.
James reflects on the process: ‘We felt that everyone should be given a chance to show their work, so no one gets left out. That’s the hard part about curating. The hard part is figuring out which one’s left out and which ones enter in the exhibition.’
Featuring over twenty artworks, the exhibition draws inspiration from Grimshaw’s distinctive use of atmosphere, particularly his transition from dusk into night. Alice explains, ‘colour-wise, we looked at colours that might reflect night-time.’
The artworks span a wide range of mediums, including digital art, collage, acrylic on paper and canvas, ceramics and more. When asked how he hopes visitors feel when viewing the exhibition, William says, ‘proud — and to look at the artwork and think, wow!’
Alongside curating the exhibition, the Visioning Group also developed three accessible, self-led creative activities designed to encourage visitors to create their own Grimshaw-inspired artwork.
James describes the activities: ‘One is the shadow puppets, where people can make their own puppets and create shadows out of it and share on social media. The second one was the skyscraper, where people could use the paper notes, post it notes, and then draw on it and stick it on one of the skyscrapers. And the third one was drawing based on my list.’
So far, the feedback on the exhibition has been enormously positive. In January, the Visioning Group hosted an International Day of Disabled People event at Leeds Art Gallery, welcoming people with disabilities, their carers and support organisations to enjoy the exhibition and take part in the creative activities.
The event was very well attended. Rosie comments: ‘It’s exciting and encouraging to see so many people engaging with our artwork and workshops. It’s great to see different organisations learn more about Pyramid and the work we do.’
When asked what he’d say to someone who was thinking about visiting the exhibition, William says: ‘Come and look at what it’s about and try something new.’
Pyramid View On… John Atkinson Grimshaw is exhibiting in the Artspace at Leeds Art Gallery until 19 April 2026.
Joe is a development team artist who works with his artist facilitator Rosie McAndrew, weekly. He is developing a cartoon universe of Greenthorn with over 30 characters. Greenthorn is a gritty seaside town that has been voted ‘The worst place to live in the UK’ and is home to a mix of interesting residents.
In his sessions Joe and Rosie have been writing episode ideas and turning his expressive drawings into postcards for the potential animated series intro.
He is inspired by the art style of SpongeBob SquarePants, Looney Tunes, Oggy and the Cockroaches, Pizza Tower and Mickey Mouse (2013). His humour is influenced by Smiling Friends, Absolutenutcase162, The Whitest Kids U know, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The Simpsons.
