Looking back on some of the best events we’ve hosted!
It’s our birthday! It’s officially two years since we opened our doors on Leeds’ oldest street and to celebrate, we’re reflecting on our journey so far. This week, we’ll be sharing a series of birthday blog posts…so fasten your seatbelts…things may get a little emotional!
We love sharing our little hostel space with creatives, as well as our great guests! Over the past two years we’ve had an amazing array of events, exhibitions and workshops. It’s been very difficult to choose, and you could say that we’ve cheated by combining some, but here’s a run-down of the top five events we’ve hosted here at the hostel!
5. Yoga
Yoga Weekender from Lucyyoga
Weekly classes hosted by Beth from Aarna Yoga and Kate at Calm Collective Yoga
We feel so blessed to have had some #zen in our hectic hostel life! Our yogi story started with a Yoga Weekender from LucyYoga back in October 2016. The group from London were introduced to lots of our favourite things about Leeds, including a great exhibition at The Tetley and dinner at Bundobust. For some relaxing and rejuvenating yoga, they took over a space at Duke Studio’s and headed to the Middle Floor at Wharf Chambers.
For the past year we’ve had a regular yoga class in our project space. The wonderful Beth from Aarna Yoga was our first host, a kind teacher who provides accessible classes focused on traditional sequences. We felt a real bittersweet sadness in January when we discovered that Beth would be continuing her yogi journey on a series of restorative retreats across India. Though we were truly excited to hear that, due our influence, she’d decided to add in a few nights at a hostel between her retreats! You can read more about her adventures at aarnayoga.com
The delightful Kate from Calm Collective Yoga soon filled the yogi gap in our lives. Kate has taken on Beth’s Monday night spot and even added two more sessions on a Wednesday! You can find out more about how to book your space at one of Kate’s classes over on our social channels.
We’ve hosted many exhibitions at the hostel, from groups and individual artists, but there’s something special about the care and attention our lovely former duty supervisor, Andreea, gave to the InDeriva series.
Her intention was to give local emerging artists an opportunity to have their first solo exhibition. The is a key stage in any artists’ career and development, and often a daunting one. Through her support and guidance, Andreea eased the process with some amazing results, both on the night and with the artist’s wider development.
A highlight would have to be Danny Marsh’s Double Vision photography exhibition along with workshops over the weekend, where our guests and visitors were able to try out some double exposure photography for themselves, with many of our volunteers becoming excellent models!
And we must mention Marla Cruz’s About Freedom and Flowers exhibition: a celebration of what it means to be a woman through beautiful illustrations and an open-mic musical jam session.
3. Community Bakery – Ben Mills
This was our first ever event and it has certainly had a lasting impression! Immersive artist and baker, Ben Mills set himself up in our reception space from every day for a week throughout Leeds Indie Food 2016, sharing his knowledge of bread with anyone who dropped in wanting to learn. The ‘Community Bakery’ was based on an alternative method of labour exchange: for the length of time spent at the bakery, people were given a quantifiable equivalent in fresh, delicious bread.
2. Sofar Sounds
There’s nothing more unifying than experiencing music! It’s a key element of hostel life and can absolutely make or break a shift! So, we were delighted to be the surprise venue for a Sofar Sounds gigs back in November 2016.
One of our lovely volunteers, Thea, was a member of the Sofar Sounds Leeds organising group and saw the potential for our project space to be transformed into a cute little venue.
We welcomed music fans from across the city to enjoy the sweet sounds of Jess Thristan, Morning Bear and Little Brother Eli. The intimate show even included a colouring corner provided by Morning Bear, where audience members could colour in their own little bear!
1. Arctic Bazaar (I and II) (+WARMTH sauna)
Our most amazing and ambitious event has to be Arctic Bazaar. During the month of December 2016, our project space was transformed into a Scandi sanctuary by Helen Russell Brown and &/or Emporium. With a great selection of gifts from local, independent makers, boozy hot drinks and a wonderful series of workshops, it proved itself to be the perfect pre-Christmas treat.
In 2017, Arctic Bazaar returned, bigger and better, including more workshops, suitable for the whole family, a beautiful environment of commissioned artworks, and they took over the yard with an ethereal icy scene, a fire pit and storytelling. The yard was also occupied by the amazing WARMTH mobile sauna by artist Bethany Wells, commissioned by Compass for Compass Live Art Festival 2016.
What is the best event you’ve been to at the Art Hostel? Share your experiences in the comments below.
