Wellington Place is more than just bricks and mortar, it’s a thriving community powered by people. This series of interviews aims to highlight some of the people of Wellington Place, share their inspirational stories and find out why Wellington Place is much more than just a place to work…
As assistant careers, employability and enterprise manager at Leeds Arts University, Elli Whitefoot is responsible for all things ‘external engagement’. This includes the university’s long-established partnership with Wellington Place, which has given dozens of students the opportunity to showcase their work to the public and gain valuable experience and exposure.
In the run-up to CANVAS, a month-long celebration of art and community taking place at Wellington Place from 10th April to 16th May in partnership with Leeds Arts University, we caught up with Elli to find out more about her, her role and the new festival.
Can you tell us about your background and role?
As a member of the Careers, Employability and Enterprise team at Leeds Arts University, my primary focus is external engagement, connecting organisations with the university (and vice versa), and building and maintaining relationships with external partners.
I work to provide our students and graduates with the opportunities to connect with organisations and creative professionals, adding value to their university experience. This can include employment and freelance opportunities, projects, commissions, course-led briefs, events and activities, and funding.
What is your connection to Wellington Place?
I have worked with Wellington Place since I started in my role at Leeds Arts University in 2016. The first project we worked on was a commission for four pieces of artwork for the then newly opened 5 Wellington Place, which were displayed in the foyer on a rotation over the course of a year.
We have worked on a huge range of varied projects since that initial project, including illuminating the lifting tower with festive animations, designing the logo for Wellington Place Runners, seeing many students showcasing their works as part of the brilliant Artist’s Window scheme, and facilitating a festive print fair.
What do you love most about your job?
I love working with creatives and getting their work seen, it is a huge joy to see projects right through from initial concepts to completion. On the other side, it’s great to work with organisations to turn their ideas into meaningful, professional opportunities that genuinely benefits our students’ development, and then seeing the final outcomes is extremely fulfilling.
Why is it important for students to publicly showcase their artwork?
It is hugely important for students to showcase their artwork not only to gain exposure, but to build professional confidence and encourage them to value their work at a professional level.
Over the years, Wellington Place has provided a huge range of opportunities for students to do this in a setting that positively exposes the arts to a vast number of organisations – and the individuals within those organisations. It’s a fantastic place to showcase early career creatives to a diverse audience in a traditionally non-creative space.
What can people expect from the CANVAS festival and how are Leeds Arts University students involved?
A standout feature running throughout the festival is a series of large-scale canvasses, created in response to an open brief amongst our BA (Hons) Fine Art students. The style and design has been left open, meaning the students have been able to experiment creatively, but with a required focus on the history of the Wellington Place site and the Leeds and wider Yorkshire region.
Six students undertook the brief and have been working on their pieces over the past few months. Given the size of the canvases, it has been a huge project for the artists involved but one that has been very rewarding. It will be fantastic to see the competed artwork in situ, once the exhibition opens in April.
A series of other activities are also planned to run across the festival, including events for children, an art trail and art fair.
Tell us something that people might not know about you?
Perhaps not unexpected, as I work in an arts university, but I love to learn new creative skills.
I have done several courses and workshops, from mosaicking to print, stained glass to jewellery. I am currently learning to sew, again – a skill I have lost confidence with over the years – which is really fun and satisfying.
What three words sum up Wellington Place to you, and why?
Innovative – From its state-of-the-art, sustainably designed buildings to putting placemaking at the heart of everything it does, Wellington Place is a true leader.
Creative – From running clubs to championing the arts, Wellington Place has a packed calendar of events and initiatives. There is truly something for everyone.
Engaging – The scheme is an integral part of the Leeds community and is open and inclusive to all.
Thank you to Ellie for taking part in People of Wellington Place! If you would like to tell your story or wish to nominate someone to take part in the People of Wellington Place series, please email info@wellingtonplace.co.uk.
