If successful, I would use the funding to scale up my sculptural practice and push my material exploration. My current practice is heavily rooted in clay, but I want to expand into exploring alternative, sustainable materials that still retain the immediacy and tactile connection of hand-building.
I’ve begun researching how to create my own leather-like material using waste coffee grounds. My local coffee shop donates its used grounds, while I currently use these for my allotment, I’m excited by the potential of transforming this grey energy into a sculptural material. When wet and malleable, the leather pulp can be sculpted into large forms, opening up a new area of experimentation in material reuse and sustainability. With Darlington’s historical roots in textile production, this research feels timely and contextually grounded. I would use part of the bursary to attend workshops that explore sustainable alternative materials that reflect my connection to the earth and natural processes.
While I am excited to explore alternative methods of making, I also want to refine and scale up my existing clay practice. Clay remains central to my work, and developing the technical skills and knowledge required to work at a larger scale is a key part of my progression. I would use part of the funding to research methods of constructing strong, supportive armatures that can withstand the weight of wet clay and accommodate the extended drying times before firing, this is an area I’ve not yet fully explored, and I would dedicate time to researching and testing these techniques to ensure future large-scale pieces are structurally sound and thoughtfully engineered. As well as allowing me to invest in specialised materials and equipment, such as a scissor lift, to support this development, and to overcome practical barriers that have previously prevented me from working at this scale.
Additionally, I would use part of the funding to professionally document new and existing work, helping to build a comprehensive archive for my website. This is vital for the longevity of documenting and archiving my practice.
As an artist from a working-class background who grew up in a rural market town, I’m passionate about broadening access to the arts in places that have historically been overlooked.
Darlington’s industrial heritage and connection to material production resonates strongly with my current exploration of sustainable sculptural practices. I’m particularly interested in creating work that reflects the town’s legacy while pushing conversations around contemporary making and environmental responsibility. My sculptural practice draws on traditional methods of making, working with clay, fabric, wood, and textiles, and reimagines them through a contemporary lens. These materials and techniques resonate with Darlington’s industrial past, particularly its roots in the woollen and linen trades.
By situating my work within this context, I aim to create a meaningful bridge between heritage and contemporary practice. Exhibiting in Darlington would offer the opportunity to spark fresh conversations around identity, place, and material history.
I believe my work can help raise Darlington’s profile as a site of cultural significance, one where the past informs the present, and where ambitious, nationally relevant contemporary art can emerge from deeply local narratives. This would not only support regional pride but also attract broader attention to the town’s creative potential.
Please tell us about your practice. Please include any recent exhibitions if applicable. (350 words)
I attend Newark College, for a foundation diploma in Art and Design in 2016.
I Graduated Leeds Arts University with a BA Hons in Fine Art in 2019.
Following my first permanent public sculpture in Leeds, I have been nominated for this year’s Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture. This Award is run in partnership with the Public Statues and Sculpture Association (PSSA) and celebrates excellence in contemporary sculpture. The Award recognises the best sculpture or monument installed within the last year in a public space. Nominations for the Award go through a number of stages of judging by a panel consisting of specialists in the field.
Awarded the Yorkshire Sculpture International Sculpture Network (2022) Supported by Henry Moore Institute, The Hepworth Wakefield, Leeds Art Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park & Yorkshire Sculpture International.
I was awarded Leeds inspired funding for ‘A Passing Place’ (2021), a collaborative sculptural installation by artists Lily Lavorato and Amelia Frances Wood exhibited at Assembly House. Both artists graduated from Fine Art courses in Leeds in 2019. They first met during their Residencies at The Art House, Wakefield in 2020 and then both joined Assembly House in that same year.
Winner of an Aon Community Art Award, which included a mentorship programme and a culminating exhibition at the Leadenhall Building, London (2020).
I was shortlisted for the Kenneth Armitage Sculpture Award (2019).
I am Co-Director and Producer at Assembly House, an artist-led studio and gallery based in Armley, Leeds. I’ve been part of Assembly House since 2020, when we began with just twenty studio holders. Since then, we’ve grown significantly and now support a vibrant community of 65 artists working across a range of disciplines.
Our mission is to provide emerging artists with a platform to showcase their work to a wider audience. We also offer technical support and mentorship to help our early-career artists develop and refine their practice.
We also involve artists in projects allowing them to gain professional experience, as well as supporting artists who are not studio members through open calls for a broad range of projects.
We run an annual programme that includes exhibitions, residencies, lectures, artist talks, and a wide range of community initiatives. One of our key events is Assembly House Annul—a yearly exhibition that showcases the work of all our resident artists. It takes place each October across various creative venues and galleries throughout Leeds.
I was nominated for the Lazy Liaison Cohort in 2021 and commissioned by Corridor8 for the Northern Formations publication. Northern Formations is a collection of responses by writers and artists to the unusual proliferation of sculpture across the North, both historically and in the present day. The project is funded by the Henry Moore Foundation, Arts Council England, Leeds Art Fund, and the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society.
One featured work, Common Lands by Amelia Frances Wood and Bethany Stead, was initiated through a physical exchange of artwork sent by post between the two artists. Together, they explore and discuss their inner worlds and imagined utopias, revealed through the intersections of their fine art practices and sculptural approaches.
Holly Gwyneth Grange, Exhibitions Curator at Leeds Art Gallery, reviewed A Passing Place (2021), a duo exhibition featuring Amelia Frances Wood and Lily Lavorato. The review, which considered both the collaborative exhibition and our individual works, was published on Corridor8, an online, not-for-profit platform dedicated to contemporary visual arts and writing in the North and Midlands of England.
I was awarded The Art House Wakefield residency programme in November 2019 alongside Artists, Mandy Gamsu and Charlotte Southall for a month, living and working on site with a culminating exhibition ‘Flipped’ in The Art House gallery during the Wakefield art walk.
Email: ameliawoodstudio@gmail.com
Address: 34 woodside avenue, leeds, west yorkshire, ls4 2qx, GB
Local Authority: Leeds City Council
