David McLeavy

Independent curator, writer and producer David McLeavy Mixing It Up shares how he transitioned from being an artist to a curator, where he goes to get advice and some of his best experiences in the art world to date.

David McLeavy is a curator, writer & producer based in Sheffield, UK. He is currently working on a number of independent projects and exhibitions, including as the Executive Producer for Out & About, a programme of summer festivals in Sheffield, the Founder and Editor of the web platform YAC | Young Artists in Conversation and a Trustee of Our Big Picture, a cultural organisation based in Grimsby, UK. Between 2021 - 2022 he was the Curator at Absolutely Cultured leading on the artistic programme at Humber Street Gallery, Hull and between 2017 - 2021 he was the Director of the contemporary arts organisation Bloc Projects, Sheffield. As well as working with artists to build exhibitions, he works on a series of independent projects ranging from artist mentoring, organisational consultancy, devising and delivering monitoring and evaluation frameworks and advising on professional development programmes for creatives.

Previously he was also the Co-Founder of the cycling clothing and lifestyle brand Curbar with artist James Clarkson, 1/3 of the curatorial group Basic Channel, Co-Director of the international residency and exhibition programme Picnic Picnic with Pippa Cook and an Associate Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University. He was also the Chair of Trustees at Turf Projects, Croydon, and is currently on the advisory board for PINK, Manchester. Prior to focusing on curatorial projects, he made work as an artist exhibiting widely across the UK and in some instances internationally.