What Yorkshire Contemporary does

Yorkshire Contemporary is a Leeds-based visual arts charity (registered charity No. 1148716, operated by charitable company Project Space Leeds, Company No. 7123227) that produces free contemporary art exhibitions, artist development programmes, and community participation initiatives across Yorkshire. Founded in 2006 as Project Space Leeds, it operated as The Tetley from 2013-2023 in the former Tetley Brewery headquarters on Leeds South Bank, welcoming over one million visitors during that decade; following the end of that lease it rebranded as Yorkshire Contemporary in May 2024, broadening its identity from a single-venue gallery to a region-spanning organisation.

The organisation's product surface comprises exhibitions (including the co-curated Turner Prize 2025 at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford), artist development offerings (Practice: Leeds, Practice: Bradford, TAAP, the PANIC! network, and bursaries), and community participation programmes (INSIDE OUT in Beeston, Rowland Road Play Patch, Dream Space, Tiny Totley Studio at Leeds Central Library, Splat Mat, Let's Play!, and Art, Play, Food). It also delivers permanent and temporary public art commissions, including Yinka Shonibare's Hibiscus Rising in Leeds South Bank. Programmes are delivered in partnership with public and community venues including Leeds Art Gallery, Cartwright Hall, Leeds Libraries, Hamara Healthy Living Centre, and Rowland Road Working Men's Club. There is no proprietary technology platform; the stack is limited to a WordPress website, Mailchimp for newsletters, and GoCardless for donations.

Yorkshire Contemporary makes money almost exclusively through grants and donations. Its three primary funding streams are Arts Council England, the UK Government via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and Leeds City Council through the arts@leeds programme; foundation grants from Garfield Weston, the National Lottery Community Fund, Leeds Community Foundation, Jerwood Arts, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Unlimited add project-level income, while individual donations are collected online at £5/£10/£20. Commercial venue-hire income from The Tetley ceased when the lease ended in 2023. All exhibitions, workshops, and programmes are free to attend; a "Give What You Can" model is used at the UNEARTHING(S) exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery.

Name

Yorkshire Contemporary

Legal name

Project Space Leeds

Website

https://yorkshirecontemporary.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Yorkshire Contemporary is a Leeds-based visual arts charity (formerly The Tetley) that delivers free contemporary art exhibitions, artist development programmes, and community participation projects across Yorkshire, serving the public, families, and early-career artists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Visual Arts Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (71211), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ), Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Contemporary art exhibitions
• Artist development programs
• Public art commissions
• Community arts participation
• Visual arts charity

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Funding: Primary revenue stream from Arts Council England, UK Government through UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and Leeds City Council via arts@leeds programme. The organization is a registered charity (No. 1148716) dependent on public funding.
2. Donations: Individual donations accepted online via GoCardless payment platform. Donation amounts of £5, £10, and £20 offered. Commercial income from venue hire at The Tetley is no longer available following lease departure.
3. Foundation Grants: Funding from charitable foundations including Garfield Weston Foundation, National Lottery Community Fund, Leeds Community Foundation, and others for specific projects and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Yorkshire Contemporary is a Leeds-based visual arts charity that creates free contemporary art experiences, presents exhibitions at partner galleries and community venues, supports early-career artists through development programmes and grants, and runs community art and play projects across the Yorkshire region. The organisation operates as a multi-programme arts charity rather than a single product, with free exhibitions, artist accelerator programmes, community participation projects, and public art commissions as its core offerings.

Product overview

Yorkshire Contemporary is a Leeds-based visual arts charity that operates as a multi-programme arts organization rather than a single product. The core offering comprises free contemporary art exhibitions, artist development programmes (including Practice: Leeds, TAAP, and PANIC! network), and community participation initiatives (INSIDE OUT, Rowland Road Play Patch, Dream Space Playgroup, Tiny Totley Studio, Splat Mat). The organisation also produces public art commissions and partners on major events such as Turner Prize 2025. All programmes are designed to support early-career artists, provide free access to contemporary art, and engage communities through creative participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibitions Programme Free contemporary art exhibitions presented across Leeds and Yorkshire at partner venues including Leeds Art Gallery and community spaces, showcasing local and international artists to the general public.
• Turner Prize 2025 Co-curated major national contemporary art prize exhibition at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, featuring artists Nnena Kalu, Rene Matić, Mohammed Sami, and Zadie Xa, delivered in partnership with Bradford 2025, Tate, and Bradford District Museums & Galleries.
• Practice: Leeds (TAAP) Year-long artist development programme for artists living, working, or based in West Yorkshire, providing mentoring, training, development, and studio space at a pivotal career stage.
• Practice: Bradford Artist development programme providing funding, mentorship, and professional development for emerging Bradford artists, delivered in partnership with Bradford Producing Hub as part of the OUR TURN visual arts festival.
• PANIC! (Promoting an Artists' Network in the Crisis) Artist-led network for the Leeds City Region providing bursaries, mentoring, talks, and resources to support artists, originally created in response to the pandemic.
• Public Art Commissions Both permanent and temporary public art commissions across the Yorkshire region, including permanent memorials and temporary installations in public spaces.
• INSIDE OUT Three-year art and play project for children and families in the Beeston and Beeston Hill areas of Leeds, delivered offsite following departure from The Tetley.
• Rowland Road Play Patch Community-built adventure playground created with Rowland Road Working Men's Club, offering free play sessions every Saturday for children and families.
• Dream Space Playgroup Free weekly creative playgroup for 0-5 year olds and their grown-ups, led by artist Izzy Dabiri at Hamara Healthy Living Centre, including related weekly art and play sessions during term time.
• Tiny Totley Studio Free artist-designed play space for children aged 0-11 and their families, currently located at Leeds Central Library following relocation from The Tetley.
• Art, Play, Food Free art and play sessions at Rowland Road Play Patch during school holiday periods, combined with Healthy Holidays meals for children receiving free school meals.
• Hibiscus Rising Permanent public sculpture by Yinka Shonibare CBE RA commemorating David Oluwale, located in Leeds South Bank.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million visitors welcomed during The Tetley years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Bradford 2025 UK City of CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2025Yorkshire Contemporary co-curated Turner Prize 2025 at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in partnership with Bradford 2025, Tate, and Bradford District Museums & Galleries. This is a flagship co-curated exhibition representing a major partnership milestone.
• TatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTate is the Turner Prize partner, with Yorkshire Contemporary co-curating the 2025 exhibition at Cartwright Hall. The partnership leverages Tate's national profile and curatorial expertise.
• Bradford District Museums & GalleriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue partner for Turner Prize 2025 at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery. Bradford District Museums & Galleries operate the venue.
• Bradford Producing HubmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Practice: Bradford artist development program and OUR TURN festival, delivered in partnership with Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. Supported artist mentorship and professional development.
• South Square CentremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for OUR TURN visual arts festival in Bradford, collaborating on programming across the district during City of Culture year.
• Healthy Holidays (Leeds)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership providing free meals for children receiving free school meals during holiday programs.
• Saul StudiomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigned the Yorkshire Contemporary visual identity and branding, previously collaborated with the organization for eight years while based at The Tetley.
• Loading Bay (Bradford)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for OUR TURN: Practice Bradford exhibition, located at 1 Duke St, Bradford.
• Rowland Road Working Men's ClubmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner hosting Rowland Road Play Patch, a community-built adventure playground. Ongoing collaboration for free play sessions and events.
• Hamara Healthy Living CentremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner hosting Dream Space playgroup and community programs in Beeston.
• Leeds LibrariesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner hosting Tiny Totley Studio at Leeds Central Library. Partnership for Baby Week Leeds programming and Story Bus.
• Soundplay ProjectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist duo creating The Ambient Arcade and workshop for Baby Week Leeds 2025 at Leeds Art Gallery.
• Moving Memory Dance CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for EPIC DOMESTIC Practising Propaganda Party workshops, led by artist Bobby Baker.
• Women's Health MattersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for EPIC DOMESTIC project, providing support and collaboration on gender justice programming.
• Leeds Beckett University (Fine Art)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents presented Le Ver Troyen performance at The Tetley, part of Community Takeover program.
• Three CreateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on design and build of play structures for Tiny Totley Studio.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Studio Voltaire: A London contemporary arts organisation providing free exhibitions, an artist residency programme, and learning initiatives. Comparable for free admission, early-career artist support, and community-led learning programmes.
• The Hepworth Wakefield: A regional contemporary art gallery in Wakefield, Yorkshire, offering free exhibitions and artist development programming to a similar regional audience. Directly comparable as a Yorkshire-based contemporary visual arts organisation with public funding and free admission.
• Ikon Gallery: A Birmingham-based contemporary art gallery offering free exhibitions and an artist-in-residence programme. Comparable as a regional UK contemporary art gallery with free admission, artist development, and education focus.
• Firstsite: A contemporary visual arts organisation in Colchester presenting free exhibitions with a strong learning and community participation programme. Directly comparable as a publicly-funded gallery with free admission and focus on access.
• Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art: A large-scale contemporary art gallery in Gateshead, North East England, with free admission, artist commissioning, and learning programmes. Closely comparable as a publicly-funded regional contemporary art organisation supporting emerging artists and community engagement.
• Spike Island: A Bristol-based centre for contemporary art and design combining free exhibitions with studio space for artists and a graduate residency programme. Comparable for its dual focus on exhibitions and artist development infrastructure.
• Camden Arts Centre: A London contemporary art gallery offering free exhibitions, artist residencies, and education programmes. Comparable for the combination of free exhibitions, early-career artist development, and learning/community participation.
• MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art): A regional contemporary art gallery in the North of England presenting free exhibitions of modern and contemporary art with strong learning programmes. Comparable as a publicly-funded regional gallery operating outside London.

Regional players

• Yorkshire Sculpture Park: An open-air contemporary sculpture park in Wakefield, Yorkshire, presenting free exhibitions and learning programmes. Comparable as a free-admission contemporary arts organisation in the same Yorkshire region competing for similar funder and audience bases.

Broad incumbents

• Serpentine Galleries: A major London contemporary art institution with free exhibitions and a renowned artist commissioning/collaboration programme. Comparable for the free exhibitions and commissioning model, though at significantly larger scale and London-centric.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/The_Tetley
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheTetleyLeeds
• Instagraminstagram.com/The_Tetley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-tetley

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yorkshire Contemporary