CONTACT, COLLABORATE, & MEET THE FOUNDER
ABOUT THE ART CRIT
The Art Crit is inspired by the positive elements of the art school crit, combining critical thinking and constructive feedback with the casualness of chatting about art with your mates at the pub. It is held every eight weeks at various pubs and venues around Leeds, and hosts up to eight artists at a time.
The Art Crit from the the founders' desire to attend a regular art crit for their own practice. They found that most crit events available were either one-off events or catered exclusively to current students within institutions.
After a period of research, experience-building, and a few test events, The Art Crit was launched and has been running regularly since early 2025. As it has grown, it has gained a community of regular attendees and has contributed to the Leeds art scene. It has also led to collaborations and resource sharing with other Leeds creative groups and institutions, including Situation Leeds, Leeds Drawing Club, and the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds.
Looking to the future, we hope to collaborate with more groups, studio collectives, and venues, as well as expand into other areas of Yorkshire and potentially increaes the frequency of events.
The Art Crit is associated with Situation Leeds
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The Art Crit feature on UPNORF
CONTACT US / COLLABORATE / WORK WITH US
Do you have a general question that isn’t on the FAQ page or want to chat with us?
Are you part of an art group/collective/studio and want to bring in a third party Crit event, or collaborate to create a joint event?
Are you based outside of Leeds and want to discuss an event?
Do you want to contribute in some way, learn about crits or work with us to deliver events?
Then feel free to get in touch below either via the Contact Form or by direct email!
MEET THE FOUNDER
Jenny Beard founded The Art Crit at the start of 2025, following a desire for feedback and accountability within her own practice. Jenny is a painter from Barnsley, who’s been based in Leeds for over 10 years. She moved to Leeds to study a BA (Hons) Fine Art degree, and felt at home with the local art scene.
Jenny has exhibited across Yorkshire and London primarily, as well as selling prints via Sweden and London. She has worked with brands including Miss Selfridge, HIP Store, Rad Union, Wetherspoons, IQ Accommodation and Vonder.
Jenny is a contemporary artist, working within abstract painting. Driven by the materiality and physicality of the medium itself, Jenny would describe themselves as a “painter’s painter”. There is an ongoing dialogue between digital aesthetics and traditional methods, in which Jenny explores the push and pull of styles and processes, perfection vs error.
You can find out more about Jenny and her practice over on her website or instagram: