How Assembly House is making art a home

Ten years ago, a handful of Leeds art graduates found themselves in an empty industrial unit with no heating, no windows, and just one plug socket. But what they lacked in infrastructure, they made up for in vision and a relentless DIY spirit. From those tough beginnings, Assembly House was born.

Now a thriving artist-led space supporting over 60 creatives, Assembly House has evolved into one of the city’s most vital hubs for early-career artists. It’s more than just a collection of studios; it’s a home for ambitious ideas, wild installations, unexpected collaborations and genuine community-building. As they look ahead to a major expansion, the team are still fuelled by the same mission: to champion creativity and keep the flame of independent arts burning in Leeds.

We have so much to get into, so let’s get right to it! What was the vision back when Assembly House was just an idea, and how has it evolved over the last decade?

In the first 5 years the group came together as a committee to run a small programme of exhibitions and music events, and then after that the organisation took on its first paid member of staff, working 1-2 days per week and its yearly programme grew to include an online programme during the pandemic, talks, workshops, murals, public sculptures co-created with community groups in Armley and much more.

Although we’re still a small team and small organisation we’re so proud of how we’ve been able to grow the organisation to what it is today. Our aims are to keep developing Assembly House to be the best supporter and champion of early career artists that we can be.

You currently support 65 creatives with studio space. What kinds of artists call Assembly House home?

There’s all sorts of artists who are part of the community at Assembly House. We try to ensure that there is a diverse range of practices so that everyone who joins can find others with similar interests and skills, to share ideas and learn from each other. At the moment we have artists working in sculpture, painting, photography, illustration, graphic design, textiles and printing.

We find that having a space without doors, that is fairly open plan, really helps. No one is separated away from anyone and it feels like a welcoming space. We also have a really enthusiastic membership, with people who are always up for a cup of tea and a chat. We also host crits, social events and trips, which everyone is welcome to, and throw a great birthday and Christmas party every year. 

How do you support early-career or emerging artists?

One of the things we’re really proud of is our mentoring and professional development offer; we help members with applications, project planning, budgets and marketing, as well as practical training in woodworking and other technical elements.

Our core programme is also taken from the membership to ensure we can offer a platform for exhibitions and events for those early in their career.

You’ve worked on so many different community projects. Which of these has left a lasting impact on those who work at Assembly House?

All of our community projects make an impact on Assembly House, and hopefully on our local area of Armley as well!

The series of murals we produced 6 years ago are still going strong, with the ‘Welcome to Armley’ mural a lovely feature on one of the main roads into the area.

Our public sculptures, the Armley Horses and the Armley Sculpture Trail have ignited our passion for public sculpture, co-creation and reimagining the local green spaces that Armley is so lucky to have in no short supply. We’re hoping to bring more co-created public sculptures to Armley in the future!

Our ongoing partnership with Armley Action Team, particularly through Armley Festival, is a highlight of our year. We love being able to meet new people and share fun activities at such a thriving community festival.

What kinds of exhibitions and events do you prioritise programming? What do you look for when selecting work or planning a show?

Firstly we work to support and develop early career artists. Our main programme platforms artists in our membership and we also love to showcase other local artists.

We’re always looking for something big, ambitious, engaging and impactful that will fill our project space and take audiences to a new place. That can be in any artform, and we love our programme to host a range of practices.

We also love to programme talks and workshops, hosted by artists who can share their stories and experiences.

You’ve hosted some powerful exhibitions over the years. Can you tell us about one that felt particularly meaningful or memorable?

It’s really hard to pick out any one project as they’re all really special for different reasons. 

Ones that often make our team really excited are when the artists try something they haven’t tried before and are really ambitious in the project space. It’s a big space, with high ceilings and loads of natural light, so we love it when artists transform it and build a new world. Some great examples would be the cosy, mystical cave that Dan Collins constructed for the audience to climb into, or Ian Munro’s Scala that brought an Irish mountain inside our space.

It’s also been great hosting first time collaborations between artists, such as Amellia Frances Wood and Lily Lavarato’s A Passing Place or Megan McClean and Sarah Hardy’s Lulling the Tide.

We’ve also been so fortunate to collaborate with world leading artists, such as Joe Williams, co-producing a month-long Black history festival in 2021.

How do you see your role within the wider Leeds art scene? Any other organisations or spaces that you have collaborated with or would like to collaborate with?

We love Leeds and we’re so proud to be part of a thriving artistic ecology. However, it can’t go without saying that the last couple of years has seen so many cultural organisations and hospitality businesses close. 

We’ve worked with some brilliant partners, including YSI, Armley Helping Hands, New Wortley Community Centre, Heritage Corner, EWERK Luckenwalde, Sunny Bank Mills, Leeds Industrial Museum, Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds Art Fund and many more.

We have also been lucky to receive vital funding from Leeds City Council - funding that has been lost in so many other local authority areas and continues to be under threat in Leeds and needs to be protected.

We will always champion the grassroots creative sector in this city.

It sounds like it has been a tough time for art in Leeds when it comes to funding. What have been the biggest challenges over the years, and what keeps Assembly House going?

The rising cost of living has impacted us, like all small businesses, over the last few years. This not only results in rising costs for the things we buy, but also the very high cost of business rates, utilities and more. On top of that, the cost of living also forces some of our members to make tough decisions about the affordability of having a studio.

In addition, the ongoing cuts to public funding mean that successful fundraising is harder than ever.

The team at Assembly continues to push forward. United by a shared belief in the impact of nurturing early-career artists, it seems to us that they are deeply committed to the success of creativity in Leeds, and having witnessed the difference their work makes, they are determined not to let it stop.

What are some of the most exciting things you have coming up in the next year?

If you’ve seen our Instagram before, you’ll have seen lots of videos of our staff and volunteers climbing around in a pile of rubbish we affectionately call ‘The Pit’. By Autumn 2026 we will have completed the extensive clearing of this derelict courtyard and will have a beautiful community garden. We’re aiming to open this up to local people, artists, our members and anyone else who would benefit from it.

We’re also about to embark on the renovation of a derelict upstairs unit in our building, to make a final expansion of the studios and welcome approximately 18 new artists! Alongside that we have our monthly programme of exhibitions, that is completely free to attend and we will be hosting our birthday fundraiser and group show in October.

How can people best support Assembly House—whether they’re artists, local residents, or just admirers of what you do?

We always love welcoming new and returning faces to the venue, so please come along to one of our exhibitions or events for a chat and some great art. Our exhibitions and most of our events are free and everyone is welcome.

You can also come along to our weekly life drawing session, See You Naked Mondays. It’s hosted at Left Bank Leeds, is open to all ability levels and has a different theme each week.

If you’re around in September you can come along to the Leeds Open Studios and Armley Festival and then in October you can grab some raffle tickets and enter the fancy dress competition at our birthday party fundraiser!

Anyone can always drop us a line at info@assemblyhouse.art and we’ll be happy to chat.

Assembly House is a place built on trust, conversation, and an unshakable belief in the power of artistic, creative community. As funding becomes harder to secure and costs keep on rising, the challenges are real, but so is the momentum. With a new garden on the horizon, more studios in the works, and a programme that continues to prioritise bold, meaningful work, Assembly House has firmly cemented its place in Leeds’ creative landscape — not just as a studio provider, but as a force for artistic expression and community.