Sculpture research programme
The Henry Moore Institute’s sculpture research programme places sculpture at the centre of current art historical scholarship and actively encourages new research.
At the Henry Moore Institute, we pride ourselves on being a hub of contact and exchange, generating and supporting research networks that extend beyond the confines of academia.
Our sculpture research programme operates across disciplines and art forms, engaging with performance, drawing, photography or architecture, or with wider fields such as politics or anthropology.
Research seasons
Each year our research programme is organised into specific areas of enquiry, explored through themed Research Seasons. Each season includes a range of research events, conferences, lectures, film screenings and discussions, designed to showcase new thinking on different aspects of sculpture.
Beyond the Visual
Winter 2025 – Spring 2026
Beyond the Visual is the UK’s first major sculpture exhibition in which blind and partially blind practitioners are central to the curatorial process and make up the majority of participating artists.
A range of workshops, guided tours and artist talks explore the themes raised by the exhibition, led by artists who feature in Beyond the Visual.
Explore our previous research seasons, and watch recordings of talks, conferences and performances.
See all previous research seasons
Autumn 2024 – Spring 2025:
Beyond the Visual: Blindness and Expanded Sculpture
Upcoming conferences and events
Guided tour
Free exhibition tours: Phantasmagoria
11:00 & 14:30
Guided tour
Curator’s Tour of Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age
18:00–19:00
Book your free ticket
Artist in conversation
Nina Davies: Glitch Guisers
17:00–18:30
Book your free ticket
Artist in conversation
Folkless Lore and Scraper: Dane Sutherland and Jamie Sutcliffe
14:00–16:00
Book your free ticket
Research opportunities
Find out how you can get involved with our research programme.
Visiting research fellowships
Our fellowships enable artists and researchers to develop their work, spending a month in Leeds using our resources.
Applications are now open for 2026/27 fellowship projects
Deadline to apply: Monday 27 April, 17:00
Calls for participation
We regularly invite submissions for conferences and symposiums on a range of sculpture topics.
Our events take place at the Institute in Leeds, Studios & Gardens in Hertfordshire, and with external partner venues.
We do not currently have any active calls for participation. When opportunities arise, they will be advertised here.
Dissertation Prize
Open to BA and MA students of all disciplines, each year we award two prizes for outstanding writing on contemporary, modern or historical sculpture.
Applications are now open for our 2025 prize.
Deadline: Friday 12 December 2025.
Find out more and submit your essay
Our research facilities
We encourage researchers at all levels to seek our advice and make use of our world-class archive, library and sculpture collections in Leeds.
Sculpture Research Library
With more than 30,000 books, exhibition catalogues, journals and audio-visual items, the library is an outstanding resource for studying sculpture.
Archive of Sculptors’ Papers
The working lives of hundreds of sculptors are captured in their photographs, letters, drawings and sketchbooks, alongside film, digital records and even tools and costume.
Leeds sculpture collection
We oversee the development of Leeds Museums and Galleries’ sculpture collections, a partnership that has built one of the strongest collections of British sculpture in the country.
Online research resources
Collaboration is at the heart of our research programme.
We have jointly funded and collaborated in a number of initiatives intended to consolidate primary resources for the study of sculpture.
Essays on Sculpture
Essays on Sculpture is the journal of the Henry Moore Institute, tacking a diverse range of subjects, disciplines and styles to investigate the important role that sculpture plays in the world at large.
Visit us
Henry Moore Institute
74 The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 3AH
United Kingdom
T: 01132 467 467
E: institute@henry-moore.org
