Artlink West Yorkshire

The following is an interim description that may change once detailed cataloguing takes place in the future. Records covering the running of the organisation under two Directors: Cynth Hopkin and Sylvie Fourcin. The papers include correspondence, administrative and project files, financial records, press releases, annual reports, business plans, photographs and audio-visual material.

1984-2010

Uncatalogued: 27 transfer boxes, 34 audio cassettes, 33 video cassettes, 20 CD-ROMs, 7 DVDs, 3 audio CDs, 1 digital video cassette and 3805 digital files

Donated on 8 July 2015.

Artlink West Yorkshire was established in 1979 as Shape Up North, a community based arts charity focusing on arts and health. Shape Up North was part of the Shape network (now Shape Arts) which had been started in London in 1976 by the dancer Gina Levete as part of the disability arts movement. Shape Up North was renamed Artlink West Yorkshire in 1985 and worked across Lincolnshire and Humberside, focusing on providing creative arts based programmes to vulnerable and disabled people in the community. Its work has included disability arts workshops, performances, special projects, training, information and advice. In 1992 Artlink redefined itself as an Arts Access Agency with a broader remit to work with all sections of the community. It focused on running arts programmes, using self-advocacy and community arts techniques, with people from a diversity of groups, experiencing isolation, anxiety, disability, ageing or long-term illness. Artlink West Yorkshire was funded by government grants as well as additional project funding. In 2024, Artlink West Yorkshire closed down after 44 years.

Part of the Arts for Health collections (ref: ART).

This collection is currently uncatalogued and cannot be ordered online. Requests to view uncatalogued material are considered on a case by case basis. Please contact collections@wellcomecollection.org for more details.

A number of Arts and Health organisations deposited their collections at Manchester Metropolitan University to form what was known as the Arts for Health archive. In 2015, these papers were donated to Wellcome Library and subsequently divided into the following collections, with a unifying 'ART' prefix in the reference number. These collections are in the process of being catalogued; search the archives catalogue using the collection reference number for further information.

Arts for Health archive: the main organisational archive of Arts for Health; "ART/AFH".

Healing Arts, Isle of Wight archive: Papers of Healing Arts, Isle of Wight from its establishment in 1984 up to 2012; "ART/IOW"..

Mike White archive: Papers relating to Mike White's work for Arts for Health while at Gateshead Council and Durham University; "ART/MIW"

Langley Brown archive: Papers relating to Langley Brown's work for Manchester Hospital Arts (now Lime), and for Start (Sheltered Training in the Arts); "ART/LAB".

Stockport Arts and Health archive: Papers of Stockport Arts and Health, 1990-2008; "ART/SAH".

Aiden Shingler archive: Papers of Aiden Shingler, relating to his work with Arts for Health; "ART/ASH"..

Graham Cooper archive: Cooper's working notes and research folders for projects on effects of hospital architecture on patient wellbeing and care; "ART/COO".

Lime Arts archive: Papers of Lime Arts, 1973-2007; "ART/LIM".

Artlink West Yorkshire: Organisational records, 1984-2010, "ART/AWY".

In addition, some grey literature and publications have been added to the Library's holdings, and can be searched for in the Library catalogue by searching "Donor: Arts for Health"