If Not Now When?: Generations of Women in Sculpture in Britain, 1960 – 2022 by Dr Anna Frances Douglas and Dr Kerry Harker

From September 2021, Dr Anna Frances Douglas and Dr Kerry Harker were curatorial researchers on the feminist project ‘Hepworth’s Progeny: Generations of Women in Sculpture in Britain – Lives, Work, Careers and Social Change 1960-2021’, initiated by Professor Griselda Pollock in partnership with sculptor Lorna Green and The Hepworth Wakefield. The project revisited Green’s 1989 enquiry into the work of 250 sculptor-women, generating a comparative study with women working in sculpture today. In this talk, Douglas and Harker will share insights from their research methodology and findings, and how these shaped their innovative approach to the curation of the accompanying exhibition ‘If Not Now, When?’ which continues at The Hepworth until 15 October.

Dr Anna Frances Douglas is a curator, researcher and educator currently based at the School of Fine Art, History of Art, and Cultural and Media Studies, University of Leeds. Her critically acclaimed exhibition and book, Shirley Baker Women and Children; and Loitering Men, was commissioned by the Photographer’s Gallery London, touring to the PhotoEspagne Festival in Madrid (2016), and Manchester International Festival at Manchester Art Gallery (2017). Building on this exhibition, she was awarded a research fellowship for an innovative practice-based PhD in curatorial methodologies at the University of Leeds. During this time she refined her use of the qualitative science Grounded Theory method, that foregrounds thematic patterning in data, experimenting with its application to curating. In collaboration with fellow curator-researcher Dr Kerry Harker, further adaptation of this creative method would result in the touring exhibition ‘If Not Now When?: Generations of Women in Sculpture in Britain, 1960 – 2022’ and its related research programme ‘Hepworth’s Progeny’, commissioned by The Hepworth Wakefield and sponsored by art historian Griselda Pollock.

Dr Kerry Harker is a Leeds-based curator, writer and researcher. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of the East Leeds Project (2017- ) a visual arts organisation that has recently commissioned the social sculpture Moon Palace by Heather Peak and Ivan Morison for LEEDS 2023 Year of Culture. Previously she was Co-founder and Co-director of Project Space Leeds (2006- ) and then Co-founder and inaugural Artistic Director at The Tetley centre for contemporary art (2013-15). She was also previously Curator of Exhibitions for Harewood House Trust (2008-11). She has co-curated sculpture projects by and with women including Rachel Adams, Rebecca Birch, Emma Bolland, Bronwen Buckeridge, Laura Buckley, Natalie Finnemore, Laura Ford, Lubaina Himid and Susan Walsh, Diane Howse, Lizzie Hughes, Sophie Lascelles, Delaine Le Bas, Kelly McCallum, Laura Morrison, Amy Stephens and Rehana Zaman among others. From 2021-23 she was Co-Curatorial Researcher, with Dr Anna Douglas, on the project ‘Hepworth’s Progeny’, in partnership with artist Lorna Green, Professor Griselda Pollock and The Hepworth Wakefield. This led to their co-curation of the exhibition ‘If Not Now, When? Generations of Women in Sculpture in Britain, 1960-22’ at The Hepworth from 31 March – 15 October 2023.